Bridges I Have Burned
by kayladie
Summary: Clark finds himself in a dangerous place, caught halfway between life and death. The only one who can hear him is Lex Luthor, the man responsible for his situation in the first place. Clark/Lex
1. Chapter 1

**Fic title:** Bridges I Have Burned  
><strong>Author name:<strong> kayladie  
><strong>Genre:<strong> slash  
><strong>Pairing andor characters:** Clark/Lex  
><strong>Word count:<strong> ~34,000 (yes, it turned into a monster!)  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> violence, sex, slight Lana bashing, mention of mpreg (though it doesn't happen in the story)  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Clark finds himself in a dangerous place when things go wrong with some meteor mutants who are trying to blackmail him. Now he's trapped somewhere between life and death, unable to communicate with anyone...except Lex Luthor, who's the one responsible for putting him in this situation.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own these characters and I am making no money from this work.  
><strong>Author Notes:<strong> The title of this story is inspired by a song by Linkin Park, "Burning in the Skies" from the CD _A Thousand Suns_. The fic is partially inspired by the movie _The Invisible._ This was written for the smallville big bang challenge on LJ.

* * *

><p><strong>Part One<strong>

This was a scene straight out of one of his nightmares. One of Clark's biggest fears, immediately after the one about suffering through an alien autopsy, was being unable to help his family and friends when they were in trouble. He and Lana had just stopped by the farm to pick up some nails, and somehow, they'd stumbled into a hostage situation. Then, to make matters worse, his parents had come by looking for them, and now most of the people he loved were being held to the whims of a madman.

There'd been a few times over the past couple of months that Clark had really missed his powers, and now was definitely one of them. He felt so incredibly helpless that he wanted to scream, but that certainly wasn't going to do them any good. He listened in disbelief as the leader, Lee, told Clark what he wanted him to do. They wanted him to break into the LuthorCorp plant's Level 3, and steal some sort of meteor rock serum. It was something that would have been no big deal for Clark several weeks ago, but now? Yeah, a bit of a problem, seeing as he was completely human and powerless.

There were four of them, and they were more blatant about using their powers than any other meteor freaks Clark had ever encountered. Most of the ones he'd fought in the past had been secretive and sneaky about their abilities, but these four were more than willing to flaunt what they could do. Lee was the obvious leader, and he had the ability to drain electrical energy from objects and then control it. Those weird twins, and Clark hadn't even heard anyone call them by name – it was just 'the twins' – could form a seemingly impermeable barrier around themselves and anyone else nearby. The last guy's name was Davey, and he had the power of teleportation.

When they'd suddenly popped into the loft where he and Lana had been fooling around, it had been a shock. Seeing the way they abruptly appeared had brought back fleeting memories of Alicia. And then he hadn't been able to think about that as they were throwing him around the room like a ragdoll.

Now he was sitting on the living room floor of his newly rebuilt house, his hands tied behind his back with a plastic zip tie, staring up as these thugs pushed around his family and his girlfriend.

"You don't seem like such a big bad guy to me, Kent. Some of the others in Belle Reve must have been exaggerating about you. Or they were just idiots. I'm leaning towards a bit of both," Lee sneered.

"Look, I can't do what you're asking me to do-"

"Well, you'd better figure something out pretty quick, tough guy, or your pretty little girlfriend is gonna be the one who has to deal with the consequences."

"Don't even think about touching her!" Clark shouted.

"We're in charge here! We will do whatever we want!" Lee yelled back, getting right in Clark's face.

"If you're so tough, why don't you just go get this serum yourselves?" Jonathan butted in.

"It's one of the advantages of being the bad guys. Getting someone else to do your dirty work for you," Lee said. "Davey!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"You ready?"

"Absolutely, boss," Davey said with a grin.

"All right then. You two," Lee said as he gestured at the twins, "Keep the barrier up at all times. We should be back in just a few minutes."

"We will," the twins said at the same time.

Lee reached out and hauled Clark to his feet. It was awkward as he hadn't bothered to untie Clark's hands. Davey came up and laid a hand on each of their arms. With a sharp pop, they disappeared from the Kent farmhouse and reappeared in Reilly Field, across from the fertilizer plant.

Clark stumbled a bit, almost falling, as his center of gravity was off. He glared at Lee, really wishing he still had his heat vision at the moment.

"All right, there's the plant. Do your thing, super boy," Lee said with a smirk.

"I can't do any kind of super things," Clark said from between clenched teeth. "I'm just a regular guy."

"Do you think I'm stupid? You think I'm an idiot, is that it?" Lee shouted. "All those guys at Belle Reve, they all say you're the one who put them in there, and all of them say you're really strong, and you're really fast. So you'd better quit messin' me around and do what I need you to do!"

"I don't know what else to say to get you to believe me! I can't do what you're asking me to do!" Clark yelled in frustration.

"LIAR!" Lee screamed, and backhanded Clark across the face.

Unable to protect himself, Clark fell to the ground, all the air leaving his body with a whoosh. Lee apparently wasn't satisfied with that, and began kicking Clark. Trying to roll away from the blows was only partially successful and Clark's attempts to shield his body only ended up leaving his head vulnerable.

Lee was still shouting that he was a liar when his boot finally made violent contact with Clark's temple. That was the last thing Clark remembered for a long time.

* * *

><p>Davey gazed down at the boy's still, bloody form. He glanced over at Lee, who was panting with exertion, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to get his breath back.<p>

"I think you killed him, Boss," Davey said.

"Shut up, you idiot, and let me think!"

"How are we supposed to get the serum now? Luthor's not just gonna hand it over to us."

"I said shut up, Davey. That means to stop talking!"

Davey shut up and bent down to take a closer look at Kent. There was blood trickling out of his nose and mouth, and there were boot prints all over his chest.

"Huh. He was telling the truth about not being super, I guess," Davey muttered.

"Are you sure he's dead?" Lee asked.

"He ain't breathing, Boss."

"Fuck!" Lee shouted and turned away. A few moments later, he turned back. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We gotta cut our losses on this one, and we'll figure a way to get the serum some other time. Maybe we can use this to blackmail Luthor. But right now, let's get rid of the body, get back and grab the twins, and get the hell out of town for a while."

"Right. What do you want me to do?"

"Are you deaf? I said get rid of the body!"

"Where?"

"For fuck's sake, Davey! You can teleport! Anywhere is fine! Just hurry the hell up!"

"All right, all right," Davey said, as he stood up to take a look around. He generally had to have some location in mind before he could do his thing. On the opposite end of the field they were in, was an old wooden water tower. Judging by its rundown condition, it didn't look as though it was in use anymore.

Deciding quickly, before Lee could get any angrier and turn his fury elsewhere with the kid dead, Davey reached down and grabbed hold of Kent's shoulder. With a _pop_, the two of them appeared inside the water tank. There was a bit of water still covering the bottom, and Davey grimaced at how slimy it was. Kent's body flopped onto the floor, and he gave a tiny groan.

Davey froze. Cautiously, he leaned over Kent and listened carefully. A long moment later, there was a small puff of air from Kent's lips.

"Well, hell. You may not be super, but I reckon you're tougher than you look," Davey murmured. "But this does kind of put me in a fix. Lee's about two shakes away from losing it completely. You obviously can't do what we need you to do, but if I tell him you're still alive, he'll sure as hell want to give it another try."

He leaned back on his heels, staring at Kent as he contemplated what to do. "I think you gotta stay dead, dude. You're probably more than halfway there as it is. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Your girlfriend is really cute," he said with a smirk.

He snickered to himself as he stood up and popped back to Lee's side.

"What the hell took you so long?" Lee demanded.

"What, that was less than five minutes! Give me a break, man. You know I get tired when I do too much moving without taking some time to rest."

"Well, are you rested enough to get us back to the Kent farm?" Lee asked, his sarcasm thick.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hold on for a second. No appreciation, I swear."

With that, he popped them away from the field.

They appeared right into chaos.

There were police cars everywhere. Kent's father was talking to the sheriff and his mother had her arm wrapped around the pretty girlfriend. They saw immediately that the barrier was gone.

The reason for that was evident as one of the twins was on his knees, wailing in anguish over his brother, who had a huge bullet hole in his chest. Two cops were trying to wrangle his arms behind him to cuff him, but the surviving twin was putting up a vicious fight to cling to his brother.

Davey didn't think they'd been noticed yet, and was about to suggest popping back out, when Lee absolutely lost it. Davey knew he'd been right on the edge for most of the day. Personally, he thought all that electricity Lee liked to play with had scrambled his brains a bit. Lee had liked to think of the twins as his own personal weapon. To see that gone forever was obviously just enough to push him that last little bit needed.

Lee screamed in rage and pulled a gun out of the back of his pants. He rushed across the yard, shooting wildly as he went. He made it about four steps before the cops started firing back.

Davey didn't know what happened then, because he did what he should have done when Lee had first talked to him about this crazy job.

He got the hell out of there.

* * *

><p>Lex sat still as a statue behind his desk as he listened to Crawford give his report on the fiasco at the Kent farm.<p>

"Once the barrier fell, the twins were quickly overcome by Mr. Kent. I believe that Lee overestimated their ability to hold the barrier for an extended period of time. The sheriff was called and arrived rather quickly. One of the twins completely lost it and picked up a shotgun belonging to the Kents. Once he was down, the other twin collapsed on top of him. When Tommy Lee and Davey Wilkins arrived back on the scene, Lee became enraged and charged the officers, firing his weapon. He was quickly taken down, and only managed to wound one of the sheriff officers. Wilkins popped back out before he could be taken into custody."

Lex stared at Crawford for so long that the man swallowed reflexively. Lex liked that he could still make people nervous with only the weight of his gaze. He knew that Crawford had left out one detail, and it was the one thing that Lex really wanted to know.

"And the location of Clark Kent?" he finally asked.

Crawford swallowed again. "Still unknown, sir."

Lex nodded. He steepled his fingers, touching the tips of his index fingers to his mouth as he spun his chair slowly towards the stained glass windows behind his desk. He gazed out through the reds and yellows as he tried to contain his riotous thoughts.

_Where the hell are you, Clark? _ Had his former best friend suspected, then, that it was Lex behind the actions of the meteor mutants who'd attacked his home and family? Was he staying away to taunt Lex? Planning his own revenge, perhaps?

He turned back to Crawford. "Find out anything you can from the sheriff's office. Put people on finding Davey Wilkins immediately, as many as are necessary to find him. Get back to me as soon as you have news."

"Yes, sir," Crawford said, and turned to leave as quickly as he could.

Lex thought with quiet amusement that he seemed grateful to have gotten out with his head still on his shoulders. He spun around to stare out the window once more, realizing that Crawford thought he would be blamed for the failure of the mission, seeing as he'd been the one in charge of the details. Lex knew who really was at fault, though.

The blame could be shared equally…by himself and by Clark. He found himself having to tamp down anger at the young man. If Clark had only trusted Lex enough, then none of this subterfuge would have been necessary. Though he conceded now, when it was too late to do anything about it, that he might have gone too far in his obsession to know Clark Kent's secrets.

But the desire to understand, to _know_, everything there was to know about the fascinating man/child that was Clark Kent was overwhelming. Clark had an innocence about him that most eighteen year olds had lost long ago, but it was housed in the most incredible body that Lex had ever seen.

He shifted in his chair as his cock stirred to life, reminding him that his desire for Clark wasn't just to understand. It was like a physical need inside of him, the pure _want_ he held for Clark. He remembered when he'd first met Clark, and how horrified he'd been at the lust boiling inside him when he realized that his rescuer was only fifteen years old.

So, Lex had done something very un-Lex-like and had tried to be patient, waiting until Clark would be old enough to respond to his desire. Lex had even tried to encourage him to pursue Lana, knowing that the pretty young girl would never be enough to satisfy Clark once he matured a little. He would let Clark get Lana out of his system, so to speak, because Lex had recognized the spark of interest in Clark's eyes when he looked at Lex. Clark might not have quite understood what he was feeling, but Lex knew that he would, in time.

He had tried to be Clark's friend, tried to be his confidant and protector, because surely Clark couldn't really think that his powers were a complete secret? Lex had opened up himself, tried to get Clark to see that he could trust Lex. But Clark retreated, becoming more silently stubborn about his secrets than ever before. Frustrated, Lex pushed harder. The more he pushed, though, the further away Clark drifted, until eventually the tenuous bond between them had snapped.

Lex could still recall the pang of hurt that had thrummed through his body when Clark had declared their friendship over. The hurt hadn't lasted long before it was overtaken by anger, and Lex was determined more than ever now to know everything there was to know about Clark Kent. Using the mutants from Belle Reve hadn't been his first plan, but it had been the most ambitious.

A faint wave of uneasiness crossed Lex's mind as he pondered how very wrong the operation had gone. Two of the mutants dead, one probably mentally damaged beyond repair, one on the run, and no sign of Clark. He dismissed the idea of Clark staying hidden to taunt him; Clark would never do that to his parents or Lana. No, something had gone terribly wrong, and Lex did not have a good feeling about it.

Not at all.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

When Clark became aware, he realized that he was standing in the middle of a dirt road. Confused, he glanced around, trying to get his bearings and wondering how he'd come to be here, wherever here was. Seeing no one around, he sighed, picked a direction, and began walking. As he ambled along, Clark tried to remember what had happened.

The last he could recall, the meteor mutants had taken him to the LuthorCorp plant and had wanted him to do something for them. It began to get a little hazy at that point, and for the life of him, Clark couldn't figure out how he'd gotten to the middle of nowhere all by himself. After several minutes, the dirt road joined to a paved road and Clark looked to see if there was a road sign.

Thankfully, there was. State Road 184. Damn, that was halfway across the county from his house. How in the hell had he ended up here? Well, at least he knew which way to go now, and resigned to a long walk, Clark trudged onward. After another hour or so – he couldn't really tell since he didn't have a watch or his cell phone – he heard the roar of a car's engine as it came up the road.

Hoping that he could get a ride, Clark tried to flag it down, yelling and waving his arms. But the driver passed right by as though he didn't even see Clark. Frustrated, he glared at the rapidly disappearing vehicle. Times like these, he really missed his powers.

Annoyed at the situation he'd found himself in, Clark continued walking. He pondered the events that had occurred at his house, and wondered again what Lee's motives had been for taking him and his family hostage. He could vaguely remember that they'd wanted something at the LuthorCorp plant. Some kind of serum? He couldn't quite recall and it was driving him mad that he couldn't.

It just didn't make any sense to him. Why would four people who had meteor-given abilities want him to do their dirty work? To avoid being blamed? But with the abilities that Lee and Davey had, they could have been in and out without anyone being the wiser. Instead, they'd come to _him_, and specifically him, to do what they needed done.

The more he thought on it, the more Clark was convinced that Lex had something to do with this. It surely couldn't be a coincidence that they'd wanted something from LuthorCorp, where Lex had probably had some kind of trap planned for him. Lex had never given up on wanting to know Clark's secrets, even after the death of their friendship. In fact, it seemed as though he wanted to know about Clark even more now.

He scowled as he continued his trek down the lonely country road. Clark wished that he was in front of Lex right now. He wanted to punch his former best friend right in the nose.

The day had already been strange enough, but then it just got weirder.

Clark blinked and suddenly he was standing in front of the Castle. Stunned, he looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed him popping in from nowhere. There were some workmen on the roof repairing damage from the meteor shower but they were paying him no attention whatsoever.

He found that a little odd, because Clark usually garnered a lot of attention, especially around the Luthor mansion. And he still couldn't figure out how he'd gotten here so fast without his powers. Unless Jor-El had changed his mind? Clark attempted a short blast of heat vision at a nearby shrub. Nope, still nothing there.

It was starting to become a little frightening that he had no idea what was happening to him. At that moment, Clark glanced up towards the window to Lex's study and could clearly see the man himself gazing outwards.

Anger overwhelmed any fear or confusion and right then, all he wanted to do was go up there and fulfill his earlier wish of hitting Lex in the face. Before he could think on whether it was a good decision, Clark strode into the Castle and headed towards the study.

He stormed into the study, pushing the double doors back until they hit the walls with a satisfying slam. Lex wasn't going to have a chance to deny this, because Clark was going to come in guns blazing.

"You've gone too far this time, Lex! This fight is between you and me, and that should be the way it stays! You can't go involving my girlfriend and my parents in our battles, not without consequences!"

He paused after his opening volley and waited to see what Lex had to say for himself. A tiny little part of his brain wondered at the fact that he might be enjoying this a bit too much, but Clark shoved that thought aside while he waited for Lex's reply…which was not forthcoming, at all.

In fact, Lex was listening to someone talk on his speakerphone and pretending that Clark wasn't even in the room. He was pacing back and forth in front of the stained glass window, listening intently, every now and then barking out an order to 'explain further' or 'stop wasting my time'. He was ignoring Clark completely.

Lex had done many things in his friendship and enemy state with Clark. Lex had, amongst numerous other things, showered Clark with gifts and advice; surprised Clark with concert tickets and chauffeured limos; been a comforting shoulder to lean on when Clark was angsting; called Clark a liar to his face; demanded to know what Clark was hiding from him; cut Clark cold with the most chilling expression that Clark had ever seen.

The one thing Lex had never done was _ignore_ Clark.

Infuriated and frustrated, Clark glared at Lex in disbelief. If he still had his heat vision right now, Lex would have been incinerated on the spot. With a growl of rage, Clark stepped up to Lex's desk and swept everything, his lamp, his papers, his fancy paperweight, and his precious laptop, onto the floor. Let Lex try and ignore _that_.

Incredibly, Clark still got no reaction. He was stunned. What the hell was going on here? Even Lex was not that good an actor. Yet, he still continued to pace and listen to the voice from the speakerphone.

"Dammit, look at me!" Clark yelled. "LEX!"

Finally, a response, although not exactly the one that Clark would have expected. Lex paused in his pacing, and tilted his head as though he'd heard something from far away.

"Crawford, shut up for a moment," he said quietly, and the voice on the other end of the phone line stopped speaking immediately.

Clark tensed, anticipating the argument that was surely about to begin. He almost relished the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Lex once again.

Lex turned his head slowly, looking around the study. He looked right through Clark, and then sighed.

"_Sir?_" The man on the phone sounded unsure of whether he should say anything or not, but he'd evidently felt brave enough to try.

"Continue, Crawford. I just…thought I heard something. It was nothing."

"_Yes, sir_," Crawford said, and then continued talking about whatever they'd been discussing a few minutes earlier.

Clark was too incensed to listen. "Nothing! So I'm nothing to you now, Lex? Since when has that ever been true?"

"_There's been no luck in locating Wilkins, sir. We've contacted all known associates and he hasn't been seen by any of them._"

"Keep looking. Let me know as soon as you find any trace."

"_Of course, sir_."

"Any progress on Clark Kent?" Lex asked.

"What the hell, Lex! Are you that bound and determined to ignore me? I'm here, I'm right here in front of you, you bastard!" Clark shouted.

"_Nothing, sir. With all due respect, Mr. Luthor, I think it might be time to switch our efforts from rescue to recovery. It has been four days and it's very unlikely that he's still alive_," Crawford said, hesitancy evident in his voice, as though he knew his words weren't going to be taken well.

And he was right.

"You will do as you're told, Crawford. I don't need any helpful suggestions," Lex said, his tone as cold as ice.

Realization suddenly hit Clark with all the force of a sledgehammer. Lex wasn't ignoring him…Lex _couldn't see_ him.

His heart began racing as he looked down at Lex's desk. He'd shoved everything off of it in anger just a few minutes ago, but now it still looked just as it always had. Lex's laptop was running some sort of program. There were papers lying in wait for his signature, and even that ridiculous paperweight that Clark had always made fun of sat untouched.

Panicking now, Clark jerked around to look at the doors to the study. They were closed, when he knew he'd slammed them open. No one else had come into the room since he had, and Lex had never moved from behind his desk.

"Oh my God. Oh my God!" He didn't know what to think. There was really only one explanation for this, but Clark didn't want to admit it, didn't want to even think it to himself. The words came bubbling out as if by themselves. "Oh my God, I'm _dead_!"

He didn't feel dead. His heart was beating, and he was still breathing, but Lex couldn't see him. Clark had been right in his face, yelling at him, and Lex couldn't see him.

Clark managed to turn his attention back to what Lex was saying, pushing aside his panic the best he could for the moment.

"Failure is unacceptable in this matter, Crawford. Clark Kent is out there somewhere, and I want him found!" He angrily disconnected the call before his underling could reply, and Clark watched as he leaned forward over his desk, bracing his arms on the surface. Lex's head fell forward and he stayed like that for a couple of minutes.

Clark stared curiously at Lex losing a bit of his control. He'd rarely seen his former friend so vulnerable, and then he realized…Lex thought he was alone. Because he didn't know Clark was there, because Clark was apparently dead!

Lex raised his head, and Clark was surprised to see a sheen of moisture in his eyes. Not that Lex would let them fall; Clark bet he wasn't that vulnerable even if he did think he was alone.

"Clark, where the hell are you?" he said in a low voice.

"I'm right here," Clark said, feeling helpless. Then he recalled what the man on the other end of the phone line had said. It had been four days since the incident in the barn?

"Mom and Dad!" His parents had to be frantic with worry. Hoping that he could use that instant transportation trick again, Clark closed his eyes and concentrated hard on home.

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes again, Clark let out his breath in a loud whoosh at seeing the yellow farmhouse in front of him. His scowl returned quickly though as he realized he had no reason to be relieved. He was dead! He wasn't sure if he even wanted to try and go into the house. His parents were probably in there, grieving for him. Clark definitely didn't want to see that.<p>

With a sigh, and knowing that he couldn't put it off any longer, he walked slowly up to the porch. He was about to open the door – and he still wasn't sure how he could do that, being dead and all – when it was flung open from the inside.

To his surprise, Lois Lane came bounding out of the house and stalked towards her car. She was talking on her cell the entire time and Clark tried to get over his shock long enough to listen to what she was saying.

"Yeah, Mr. Kent, I just checked back in at the farmhouse and there's still no sign of him here. I did find those maps you were talking about, though. Is everyone still meeting at the Talon in an hour?"

Clark didn't have super hearing anymore to listen to his father's end of the conversation, but it was obvious that he wasn't at home. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, Clark desperately needed to see his mom and dad, right now. On the other hand, it appeared that they hadn't given up on him and they were searching, along with some help it seemed.

"Good, good. I'm gonna check out a couple more places and then I'll see you there," Lois was saying as she slipped into the front seat of her car.

Clark walked over, somewhat dazed, and looked at her as she sat for a moment in the driver's seat.

"We will find him, Mr. Kent. If there's one thing I know about Smallville, it's that he's too stubborn to die," she said, and then he could see her wince, as though she regretted the words. "I'm about to leave, but I'll talk to you soon, okay? Right, bye," she said, and ended the call.

Clark expected her to shut the car door and leave then, but instead, she paused and then dropped her head to the steering wheel. A few soft noises that sounded suspiciously like crying came from the car and Clark stared in shock. This was Lois! He didn't think she even liked him, and here she was worried and crying over him?

She raised her head then, and Clark could see a few tear tracks running down her cheeks. Lois roughly wiped her face and then started the car.

"You'd better not be dead, Smallville," she muttered, "or I'll be extremely angry with you."

"I'm sorry, Lois, but I couldn't help it," he said, wishing that he could comfort her somehow, which was just weird. He stood by and watched helplessly as she turned the car around and headed for the end of the Kent driveway.

He was at a loss for what to do for a few minutes, but then Clark remembered Lois saying they were going to meet at the Talon. That 'they' had definitely included his parents, and he would guess probably also Lana and Chloe. Maybe if Clark was there, he could somehow get one of them to hear him.

Thinking back on his experience in the mansion's study, it seemed that Lex had heard _something_ when Clark had been angry enough to shout his name. Or it might have just been a huge coincidence, but it was the only clue that he had right now.

Since he seemed to have some sort of ghostly powers of immediate transportation, Clark had been waiting at the Talon for a while before his parents showed up. He was sitting on a stool at the bar watching the girl behind the counter fill orders and growing a little impatient. Clark still couldn't figure out why he could sit on chairs and touch things – although anything he moved seemed to go back to where it had been originally after a few minutes – but no one could hear or see him.

The moment he saw his mom and dad come through the front doors, Clark jumped up and ran to them, forgetting for a second that he was invisible to everyone.

"Mom! Dad! I'm right here, I'm okay, I swear!" he shouted. He concentrated with all his might on _making_ them see him. Unfortunately, it seemed that his ghostly abilities didn't extend that far and they walked past him as though Clark wasn't there.

Clark wanted to scream in frustration, and then he took a closer look at Jonathan and Martha. They looked terrible. His mother's eyes were red, his father's face was pinched with worry, and they both looked exhausted, as though they hadn't slept in days.

Jonathan and Martha walked to one of the booths towards the back of the coffee bar and sat down. Clark watched in frustration as his mom leaned silently against his dad for a few minutes. His dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her into his side as he pressed a kiss against her temple.

Before he could decide whether he should try yelling again to try and make them hear him, Lois came bustling in with all the energy that she usually brought with her. She sat down across from his parents, talking a mile a minute about all the places she'd already covered, as she spread some maps over the table.

Martha straightened and Clark could almost see her pulling strength from somewhere deep within as she and Lois bent over the map. Clark drifted over to look at the map they were examining so closely. There were several areas that were circled, some that were crossed off with an X and some that had question marks on them. He smirked as he noted that the LuthorCorp plant was circled in bright red several times.

The smirk slowly faded into a frown as he noticed that there were no notations near Reilly Field. For some reason, that area seemed really important; if only he could remember why. It was really annoying that Clark hadn't been granted all-powerful knowledge along with being dead. Weren't you supposed to get all the answers to life's questions once you'd passed on? Clark felt cheated, because he was still as confused and clueless about things as he had been when he was still alive.

The more he looked at the words 'Reilly Field' on the map, the more convinced he was that it was meaningful. How could he let his parents and Lois know they needed to look there? The next several minutes involved Clark yelling right into Lois' ear, trying to physically nudge his mother, attempting to pick up a pen to mark the spot he wanted them to look at, and finally resorting to throwing a salt shaker at his father's head…all to no avail. They continued to discuss and study the map with no clue that Clark was trying to get their attention.

Clark let out an angry yell, fisting his hands in his hair as the frustration in him boiled over. He wanted to throw things, wanted to smash a few chairs into the walls, but if he did that, it would only look like nothing had happened a few minutes later. He was completely invisible, and as many times as Clark had wished for that very thing when he was younger, he was hating every second of it right now.

He calmed down, the overwhelming rush of anger fading just a bit, and then Clark felt somewhat foolish. Pitching a temper tantrum wasn't going to help him figure this out. Although, he was beginning to worry that there was no figuring this out, and he was doomed to stay dead.

Which brought up another question…

If he was dead, was this the afterlife? Was he going to just have to watch his friends and family eventually go on with their lives while he was stuck in this half-existence? Because that would severely _suck_.

He was pondering other things to try and get himself noticed when Chloe came rushing in, her laptop in her hands.

"Yes! If anyone can figure this out, I know it's you, Chloe!" Clark said in relief.

"Chloe! Have you found anything?" Martha asked anxiously.

She sat down beside Lois and turned the laptop on, already talking fast as she explained what they were looking at.

"I did some research on the bad guys based on their records at Belle Reve and it appears that what they were looking for is a serum that's made from the green meteor rock. Apparently, it gives their powers some kind of super boost."

"That sounds like what they were talking about at the farm," Jonathan said. "What else have you found? Were you able to find out anything about LuthorCorp?"

Clark watched as Chloe bit her lip nervously. She seemed hesitant to tell his father whatever she'd found out.

"I hacked into the LuthorCorp security cameras, Mr. Kent. There's no sign of Clark or of Lee and his goon. I checked the day they attacked you and every day since. If they were headed for the plant with Clark on that day, something happened before they got there."

Jonathan scowled fiercely at this news, undoubtedly exactly what he didn't want to hear. "What about Lex? Were you able to dig up anything on him?"

"I found out that he visited Belle Reve on the day Lee and the others escaped, but other than that, I couldn't find any connection between them," Chloe said sadly.

"That's because Lex knows how to cover his tracks, Chloe! Surely you're not going to give up, are you?" Clark said in frustration. His father was saying pretty much the same thing, but Chloe just shrugged her shoulders helplessly. His dad and Lois then spent a few minutes dragging Lex's name over the coals as they placed the blame for everything bad that had ever happened in Smallville at his door.

"Honestly, I think we need to concentrate more on finding Clark than worrying about who's to blame right now," Martha said quietly.

The other three people at the table shut up instantly with guilty looks. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Lois coughed and spoke up.

"So, I think we've covered the east end of town. Maybe we should start looking in some of these areas?" she said as she pointed to the map.

"Good idea," Chloe said quickly, and she began to lay out a plan where they could split up the search.

Clark sighed as he sat down at a table across from them and just watched as they planned the hunt for him. He still wished there was some way he could push them towards Reilly Field, but that didn't seem to be working for him. Maybe they would eventually get there on their own.

"Hey, where's Lana?" he asked, as he suddenly realized she wasn't a member of the search team. Clark rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "What, like you expected them to all of a sudden be able to hear you?" he muttered to himself.

He wished he understood how Lex had been able to _maybe_ hear him that one time. That might be something to explore a little more at a later time, but right now, Clark wanted to know where his girlfriend was. He had the sudden fear that maybe the meteor freaks had done something to hurt her.

Clark concentrated on Lana, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of the living room in Lana's apartment above the Talon. He blinked in surprise. Huh, he wasn't expecting to pop just upstairs from where his parents and friends were planning the search parties. Maybe Lana was going to join them later?

He glanced around the small apartment, wondering where Lana was. Hearing a few muffled noises coming from the bedroom, Clark made his way cautiously towards the door. Slowly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He quickly spotted Lana sitting on her bed. She was sitting cross-legged, hunched over a pile of photographs, and she was crying.

"Oh, Lana," Clark said softly. He wished desperately that he could comfort her. To be able to put his arms around her and hold her close would be almost perfect. Moving closer to the bed, Clark looked down at the photographs surrounding her.

They were not exactly what he'd expected. Lana was sitting in front of a pile of pictures of her parents.

"Why do I have to lose everyone that's important to me?" she whispered as she picked up one of the photos. "First you two, then Whitney, and now Clark. It's like I'm fated to be unhappy."

Clark felt uncomfortable without really knowing why. Of course, he expected her to be upset. And he knew that she still was still very emotional about the way her parents had died; Clark himself had never been able to completely discard his feelings of guilt over his part in that. It didn't matter that he'd only been a toddler, he still felt a sense of responsibility for the damage and hurt the meteor showers had caused.

Still, a tiny part of him couldn't help wondering why she wasn't downstairs helping in the search for him. Yeah, Clark was pretty sure he was dead and their efforts were useless – and wasn't _that_ a frightening thought – but Lana didn't know that. Then of course, he also felt guilty for getting her into this mess in the first place. If she hadn't been dating him, then she probably wouldn't be so upset.

Unable to deal with Lana's sadness anymore for the moment, Clark popped back downstairs to see what decisions the searchers had made. Maybe he could still figure out a way to get them to Reilly Field.

Clark spent the next several days apathetically popping back and forth between the Luthor mansion, the farmhouse, and the Talon. He'd spent quite some time trying to get Lois, Chloe, Lana or his parents to hear him, but had zero success. He hadn't tried to communicate with Lex again. Something was holding him back and Clark wasn't even sure what that was. Anger, perhaps? Or maybe his certainty that Lex was somehow responsible for this entire mess.

He did know that Lex was searching for him just as fiercely as his family was, but they weren't working together. In fact, just yesterday, his dad and Lex had run into each other outside the Talon, and the two of them nearly came to blows. There had been harsh words on both sides, and while Lex seemed not to want to initiate anything physical, his body language said that he was more than prepared to defend himself if Jonathan did. If it hadn't been for Martha dragging her husband away, Clark was sure that both of them would have been arrested for brawling in the street.

Clark was conflicted about Lex searching for him. He was still sure that what had happened to him was Lex's fault, but the plain fact of the matter was, Lex had a lot more money and resources to put into a search. Clark loved his parents and his friends, but there was really only so much they could do by themselves.

Maybe it was time to give up a little of his pride and anger and see if he could somehow get Lex directed towards Reilly Field.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

When he showed up at the mansion, Lex was in the middle of a meeting. This one must have been about business, though because most everything they were saying went right over Clark's head. He strolled around Lex's study, inspecting the books and few bric-a-brac that Lex had decorating his space.

After this became boring, Clark gave a loud sigh and flopped heavily down onto Lex's couch in a move that was familiar to him as breathing. It took him a moment to remember that this had always been his favorite spot in Lex's study. Clark didn't know where he'd gotten this couch, or how outrageously expensive it probably was, but it was really damn comfortable.

He glanced over at the small meeting still going on at Lex's desk. Lex was behind the desk, and two stuffy guys in fancy suits were sitting on the other side. To his surprise, Lex's attention had wandered from the meeting, and he was gazing in Clark's direction with a small frown on his face. Weird. Had he heard Clark falling onto the couch? Clark quickly sat up, interested in knowing if he'd accidentally managed to make contact once again.

"Mr. Luthor?" one of the men said, a little impatiently, and Lex turned his attention back to the meeting. He immediately became all business again, and Clark wondered if he had imagined that brief look of curiosity and longing on Lex's face.

Clark was considering another try at interrupting the meeting, when the doors to the study opened. A young woman in a white shirt and a navy skirt stepped just inside. Clark thought the two men with Lex looked irritated at the intrusion, but the woman completely ignored them and spoke directly to Lex.

"Mr. Luthor. Mr. Crawford is requesting to speak with you. He says it's urgent," she said.

"Thank you, Mandy. Gentlemen, I have to deal with this, so Mandy will show you out. She can also look at my schedule and see where we can fit you back in later in the week."

One of the men started to protest, but a sharp glance from Lex quickly shut him up. The two men stood and mutely followed Mandy out of the room. A few moments later, another man walked in. He walked up to the desk, where Lex had remained seated.

"Mr. Luthor, I apologize for interrupting your meeting, but you did say that any news…"

"Crawford, I'm not concerned about that. What do you have?" Lex said.

If Clark didn't know better, he would think that Lex was anxious. Wait, this man's name was _Crawford_? That was the name of the guy Lex had in charge of looking for him! Clark had listened in on a few more phone conversations since the Lee incident, but this was the first time Crawford had showed up in person. Maybe he had some real news!

Clark leapt up off the couch and moved over to stand beside Crawford, just as eager as Lex now to hear what the man had to say.

"Sir, I'm afraid that it's not very encouraging," Crawford said hesitantly.

Lex's already pale complexion seemed to whiten a little further. He rose to his feet and leaned forward slightly, bracing his hands on the desk. "Did you find a body?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"No, sir. One of our teams almost got Wilkins in a bar in Metropolis. We were within a few feet of him before he was able to pop away again. We can tell that he's tiring, though, and I don't believe it will be too much longer before we get him."

"Wilkins? That was the guy with Lee, the one who could teleport like Alicia!" Clark said. "You're looking for him to try and find me, Lex? How do you even track a guy like that?" Clark wondered again at the resources, time, and money that Lex was putting into the search for someone who wasn't even his friend anymore. Was he still just trying to learn Clark's secrets? Or was there something more to this?

"That doesn't sound like bad news to me. Although I am disappointed that you've been unable to catch him yet," Lex said.

"Before he disappeared this time, he said something."

"A clue to Clark's whereabouts?" Lex asked. Clark could see him consciously trying to be casual, to not show any anxiety. It was weird how he seemed to be able to see some things much more clearly since he'd died.

"No, sir. He said…" Crawford hesitated again, obviously not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. "He said, 'It's not my fault the kid's dead. I'm not the one who killed him.'"

Lex went very still, his face going completely expressionless. He seemed to Clark at that moment to have been carved out of marble. Crawford, on the other hand, squirmed nervously in front of Lex as he waited to see how his news was going to be received.

Finally, after Clark was worried that Lex wasn't even breathing anymore, although why he should be concerned about that was puzzling, Lex spoke.

"Thank you for the information, Crawford. You may show yourself out," he said, his tone as emotionless as his face.

Crawford didn't waste a moment in retreating from the room. Clark watched in bemusement as Lex stood where he was for nearly a minute after the other man had left. Then Clark jerked in surprise as Lex abruptly spun from where he was standing and moved over to one of the bookcases. He began haphazardly pulling things from the shelves, muttering to himself the whole time.

Clark moved closer, wondering what in the world Lex was looking for so intently. He got close enough to hear what Lex was saying.

"Has to be here somewhere. Know it has to be here. Have to find it, have to find it _now_."

Clark was utterly confused by this point. He'd never seen Lex this frantic, other than the time he went a little crazy when Lionel was poisoning him. Clark still felt guilty about that incident, too. If someone ever invented a way to run the world on shame, Clark felt like he'd be able to power it all by himself.

"Yes!" Lex said. Clark focused back on the situation at hand to see Lex tossing a small carved wooden box carelessly to the floor. In his hand, he had a simple key.

"All that for a key?" Clark said incredulously. Midway through that short exclamation, he was talking to Lex's back, because he rushed out of the room like it was on fire. Startled, Clark moved quickly to catch up with him. Lex was halfway down the hall before Clark made it out of the study.

He started to follow him, and then Clark realized where Lex was heading. That damned trophy room! Lex uncharacteristically fumbled with the key in the lock, before he got it and slipped inside the room, closing the door solidly behind him. Clark could hear the click of the lock from inside and knew that Lex had blocked anyone else from going in.

But then, Clark wasn't just 'anyone else', was he? Even before his untimely death, he could've gotten inside to see what Lex was up to. He would have had to break the door down, though, and now all he had to do was close his eyes and concentrate…

…and Clark was inside the room that had given him the creeps ever since he'd first discovered it. Unbelievable! Lex had supposedly cleared out this room and stopped his investigations into Clark more than a year ago. But now every piece of weird stuff that Lex had ever collected was back in place. The pictures, the smashed bullets, that strange little worm that had made Chloe and Pete go nuts, even pieces of green Kryptonite!

And the wrecked Porsche! Clark gaped in anger and astonishment at the car that Lex had shown him smashed into metal cubes, but there it was, still sitting towards the back of the cavernous room.

His lip curled in disgust at the evidence of Lex's obsession with his secrets. "Well, I guess you weren't really interested in renewing our friendship, after all, Lex. Just what you could find out about my abilities!" he said angrily as he turned to glare at his former best friend. Wait, where was Lex?

Clark glanced around the room, not seeing him at first, and then he heard whispering coming from the far corner of the room. Confused, Clark made his way around a display featuring a piece of crushed metal that had a suspiciously familiar handprint in the middle of it, looking for Lex. Was there someone else in there with them? Clark hadn't seen anyone else come in.

He found Lex kneeling on the floor, holding something close to his chest as he rocked slightly back and forth, muttering to himself. Clark frowned, surprised to find himself a little worried, and stepped cautiously closer to Lex.

"I know I don't deserve it, Clark. I know I've done terrible things, been a horrible friend, but I can't bear it. I can't stand to think of living in a world where you're gone. So you can't be dead, you just can't be, because I don't think I can live with the thought of never seeing your face again," Lex said, his voice more shaky than Clark had ever heard it.

Clark's eyebrows shot upwards in shock. That certainly didn't sound like someone who was only interested in finding out secrets. It sounded more like…well, like someone who'd lost someone they loved. But that couldn't be right, could it? Surely Clark was just misunderstanding. He'd never seen Lex like this, so vulnerable and frightened. Could Lionel be somehow messing with his brain again?

Then Lex pulled whatever he was clutching to his chest away to look at it. It was a picture of Clark, an eight by ten school picture from his sophomore year that Clark recalled shyly giving Lex before their friendship had imploded. To his surprise, and secret joy at the time, Clark remembered that Lex had gotten a frame for the picture and had placed it on a shelf in his study beside a picture of his mother, Lillian. Clark had felt honored that Lex felt his picture worthy of being near his mom's.

He felt the scowl return to his face as he thought that the picture had been moved to this room to just be another part of the 'Clark Kent mystery' that Lex was so intrigued by. Clark really wished that he was corporeal right now, because he had the strongest urge to hit Lex upside the head for being such a jerk.

Clark was working himself back into a state of righteous anger when everything went sideways. Lex lifted one hand to the picture and stroked a finger down the face of the portrait. Clark blinked, his anger evaporating as quickly as it had flared.

"Always so beautiful," Lex murmured. "You can't be gone."

Clark's mouth fell open as Lex then ran his finger over the picture-Clark's lips.

"Only one kiss between us and that was the kiss of life. I so wanted to taste your lips again," Lex said. With no warning, he smashed the frame down to the floor, causing the glass to crack. "You can't leave me!"

Clark jerked backwards at the sheer anguish in Lex's scream. A few days ago, Clark had seen some cracks in the façade that Lex always presented to the world. Now, he was witnessing the complete breakdown of a man that he'd previously thought unbreakable. He felt his stomach twist in discomfort as he watched Lex lean forward onto his knees and actually sob. Clark had never seen Lex cry, ever.

Not for the first time since he'd died, Clark wished he could touch Lex, but now all he wanted to do was hold him, tell him that he was sorry for the way their friendship had ended. Because it wasn't all on Lex. Whenever Clark could bear to be honest with himself, he admitted that the fracturing of their relationship had been as much his fault as it was Lex's.

He felt like an intruder, seeing this, knowing that Lex thought he was alone. Clark half-turned, preparing to go back to the Talon. There were a lot of things he needed to think about right now anyway. As he moved, he almost walked into one of the display stands Lex had scattered throughout the room. This one held a huge chunk of green Kryptonite, and Clark flinched away reflexively.

But there was no tell-tale sign of agonizing pain shooting through his veins, and Clark remembered that he was dead. He stood there staring at the meteor rock for a moment, before he tentatively reached out a finger to touch it, still half-expecting to feel the usual effects. It wasn't under a dome of glass like some of the other displays; it was just a hunk of rock sitting on top of a plaster pedestal.

Even as his fingers grazed across the top of it, Clark kept waiting for the contact to burn, but instead the rock felt smooth and cool. A swell of anger rose in Clark again, but this time it wasn't directed at Lex. Instead, he focused on that damned piece of his home planet that had caused so much grief for everyone.

He whacked it off the pedestal with the back of his hand, watching as it clattered across the floor. It was a useless gesture, but it made Clark feel a little better. He knew that in a minute or two, the stupid rock would be back sitting in its place of glory in Lex's museum of Clark Kent.

Except, it didn't happen that way.

Lex's head jerked up and he stared in shock at the meteor that was now against the wall nearby. Clark froze in astonishment. Had he really been able to make the thing move? Permanently? Lex reached over with one hand and picked up the rock, turning it over curiously. He lifted his head and glanced around the room.

"Clark?" he called softly, the word wary and yet full of something that sounded a lot like hope to Clark's ears.

"Lex," Clark responded automatically.

Lex immediately surged to his feet and looked intently around the room. "Clark?" he called more insistently than a moment ago.

Even though he'd been trying to make contact with somebody, _anybody,_ for the last week, Clark couldn't help his instinctive reaction. He completely freaked out that Lex was able to hear him and before he could stop himself, blinked right out of the mansion.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four**

Lex held his breath as he looked around, searching for what he somehow _knew_ was there. He'd sensed something several times in the week since Clark had disappeared, and every time it happened, Lex had the feeling that it was Clark himself. Ever since he'd first laid eyes on Clark Kent, Lex had felt a sort of sixth sense about the young man. It was as though something in his body chemistry just instinctively responded to Clark.

At first, Lex had attributed it to his undeniable attraction to Clark, but he'd gradually come to feel that it was even more than that. It was like the two of them were _connected_, and in a greater sense than just one having saved the others' life. Which is why Lex had grown so frustrated with Clark's refusal to open up to him. Lex rejected the possibility that Clark didn't feel what he felt. It was simply impossible that he couldn't sense the connection just as much as Lex himself did.

That meant that Clark was denying it, just like he'd denied Lex the truth a thousand times over the last four and a half years. Lex had lived in a near-constant state of fury ever since Clark had declared their friendship over. He'd imagined an ultimate confrontation between himself and Clark in a million different ways. What he'd never imagined, was Clark not being there.

As the hours, and then the days, ticked by without any word on Clark, Lex's fury had slowly melted into an indescribable fear. He could not continue in this world if Clark wasn't in it. It was simply not possible. So the first time he'd sensed a presence that felt like Clark, Lex had felt a surge of hope that was completely foreign to him. He hadn't felt hopeful of anything since before his mother died.

Over the next few days, he'd occasionally sensed the presence, but it was always fleeting, and Lex honestly began to wonder if perhaps he wasn't imagining it. If maybe his intense desire for Clark to be alive, to be _here_, was causing him to hallucinate again.

He looked down at the green rock in his hand. No, he definitely had not imagined that. Perhaps Clark was trying to communicate with him? But he sensed nothing now, and he was sure that Clark was gone for the moment. He had been here though, Lex was more certain of that than he was of anything in his life.

"I'll find you. I promise, Clark. I will find you and I'll bring you home," he said. Just in case Clark was still there and listening, he left unsaid that the ones who had hurt him would pay dearly.

Re-energized, Lex gently placed the rock back on its pedestal and strode out of the room back towards his study.

He had a lot of work to do.

* * *

><p>Clark popped back into the apartment upstairs at the Talon, his heart still racing at a furious pace. He glanced around, wondering where Lana was before he realized she'd probably be downstairs running the coffee shop. He made his way down the stairs, half-hoping that his parents wouldn't be there. Clark didn't think he could bear to see them right now, knowing that their hopes of finding him dwindled by the day. Thankfully, the Talon was empty of the Clark Kent Search Party.<p>

Lana was making some kind of coffee creation with the huge machine behind the counter when Clark sat down at the bar. She was moving listlessly, sniffling every once in a while, and Clark felt his guilt return at being the cause of her sadness. She turned and handed the cup to a lady standing beside Clark, a tremulous smile on her face.

Clark wondered again why it was that she couldn't hear him. Why could no one except for Lex tell when he was there? He'd tried countless times in the last week to make his parents, Chloe, Lana, and even _Lois_, hear him, and had not been in the least successful.

Wasn't Lana the love of his life? Of all of them, shouldn't she be exactly the one who somehow sensed his presence? Instead, it was Lex Luthor, the one person in Smallville who confused Clark more than any other. He was still conflicted about what he'd seen in Lex's trophy room earlier. If he didn't know any better – and heaven knew, Clark was woefully stupid when it came to matters of the heart – he would think that Lex was in love with him. His words, his actions, the depth of emotion that Clark had seen in every move he made; they were the moves of a man who'd been deeply in love with someone and had lost them.

Clark really wasn't sure what to think about that! The worst part of this was, he now had no one he could talk to about it, except perhaps for the very man who was causing all his confusion in the first place. Clark understood that he'd always felt a draw towards Lex. When he was younger, he'd thought it merely meant that he looked up to Lex, because his older friend was so very much cooler than he was.

Looking back on some of their many interactions when their friendship was new, he remembered the way that his heart would race and his skin seemed to tingle whenever he was near Lex. Had it been excitement at all the wonderful things that Lex had to show him? Or had it been something more basic? Was he attracted to Lex…like _that_?

Clark frowned as he struggled to work these thoughts through in his head. He had always been interested in girls, hadn't he? Or more specifically, he'd always been interested in _Lana_. Had he been so obsessed with her and how perfect he believed her to be, that he'd ignored something so important about himself? Other than Alicia – and perhaps Kyla, as brief as that was – Clark couldn't recall a serious interest in any girl other than Lana. And after each of those, his attention had always rebounded back to Lana Lang.

Had he been so determined to fit in, to be normal, that he'd denied he was sexually attracted to Lex…and whoa! Just thinking about Lex and sex in the same sentence caused a weird little flutter in his belly.

But why did Lex have to be such an asshole all the time, Clark wondered petulantly. He continually pushed Clark for honesty, while sometimes lying himself. He did things that were wrong, and then tried to weasel his way out of the consequences. He let himself be swept up in the 'war' with Lionel and ignored the fallout to those who were hurt innocently in the resulting tidal wave.

Then again, he'd also been there every time Clark had needed something. Lex had given Clark his money, his time, his cars, his help every time Clark had asked. Clark sighed heavily as he slumped on the barstool, folded his arms onto the bar and laid his head on them. This was too much for his poor, tired brain to try and figure out.

It was the next day before Clark felt brave enough to venture back over to the mansion. Lex was sitting at his desk, typing away on his laptop, a frown of intense concentration on his face. Clark slid into the room slowly and carefully, the exact opposite of the way he'd barged in when he was alive. He didn't want it known that he was here, because Clark wanted some time to just observe and try to work through his feelings about Lex.

Clark thought he'd been as stealthy as it was possible for a guy his size to be – although one would think being a ghost would help – but he saw Lex's hands pause for half a second as he sat down on his favorite couch. He decided to just be as still as he could and see if Lex would let it go. There was only that momentary hitch in his typing and then Lex continued on as if he were alone in the room.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there and just watched Lex, but Clark found himself growing fascinated by the face of his former best friend. Lex's brows would draw together just a little when he was truly concentrating on something, his eyes would almost glow when he was intent, and every now and then, his tongue would dart out to wet his lips. Clark began anticipating the appearance of that tongue and then he started wondering what it would be like to kiss Lex's lips.

That thought brought him up short. Clark supposed that there wasn't much confusion left on whether or not he was attracted to Lex. He still wasn't certain if it was guys in general or just Lex specifically, because truthfully, Lex sort of crowded out all other competition. It just really sucked that Clark had only realized this after he was dead. He sighed in frustration at lost chances.

"I know you're here, Clark," Lex said out of the blue.

Clark sat up straight, startled, but Lex continued to work on the laptop, not even looking around the room.

"How can you know I'm here? Nobody else does!" Clark said.

Lex gasped and looked up then, his fingers finally falling away from the keyboard. "I…I almost heard you then. You really are here, aren't you?" he said.

"OH, you bastard! That was a trick to get me to talk, wasn't it?" Clark said in irritation. Even now, Lex was still playing dirty.

Lex stood up and walked around his desk and towards the couch where Clark was still sitting. It was kind of weird, Lex somehow knowing he was there, but still unable to see him, which meant that Lex wasn't really looking at him.

Clark thought half-heartedly that he should leave and let Lex wonder, just to show him for being sneaky, but then Lex's hand reached out uncertainly, kind of waving around in the air nearby and above Clark's head.

When he looked up at Lex's face, there was a desperate hope shining from his eyes.

"Clark…please," Lex whispered.

* * *

><p>Embarrassment swept over Lex as he stood there with his hand outstretched. He must look like a fool, and he despised looking foolish. He was about to drop his arm and return to his work, certain that he must have been mistaken about what he sensed, when there came the tingle of a gentle touch on the back of his hand.<p>

Lex gasped in amazement. He knew he hadn't imagined that!

"Clark, you are here, aren't you?" he said.

_"Yes…" _

The answer swept through his entire body, and he felt it as well as heard it. Lex closed his eyes for a moment as a sense of relief and exultation flowed over him. He opened them again and asked the question that had been hammering at his brain for days now.

"Are you a ghost?" he asked, half-scared to hear the answer.

It seemed to take forever for that answer to come, but finally, it did.

_"Don't know…"_

"What happened that day? Where did Lee take you?"

A strong feeling of anger washed over him then, and Lex flinched at the force of it.

_"You should know…your fault…"_

"I had nothing to do with what happened-" he began, before a wave of fury from Clark literally pushed him back a step.

_"Don't LIE!"_

Clark's hypocrisy incensed Lex. "Do we really want to get into who's the bigger liar, Clark?"

It took a few moments for Clark's next words to come through, and Lex couldn't catch every word, but it must have been a big speech.

_"I lied…protect myself…you, Lex!…wanted to know…didn't deserve to know!...been patient…might have…told you…But you…know everything…right then!"_

"How the hell was I supposed to be patient when you're the world's worst liar? You must have thought I was the most ignorant person you'd ever met! If you didn't want to tell me anything, you should have just said so, rather than insulting my intelligence."

Lex sensed frustration on Clark's part, and then his presence seemed to pull away, as though he was about to leave. It was very unbecoming a Luthor, but Lex panicked slightly. He had just broken through! Clark couldn't leave now!

"Wait! Clark, don't go!"

_"Why…stay?"_

"Because I want to help! If you're still alive and this is some form of astral projection or something, I want to find you."

Lex waited, holding his breath, for Clark's answer. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he felt Clark's grudging reply.

_"Fine. I'll stay."_

Lex breathed again and his body relaxed. He would keep personal feelings out of this for now. The most important thing was to find Clark and bring him home. He chose to ignore the fact that when he thought of home for Clark, the mansion rather than the farmhouse immediately came to mind.

"Can you tell me about what happened that day? We're trying to find Davey Wilkins. He's the only one who might be able to tell us where you are," he said, forcing himself to remain calm.

_"…Lee?"_

"Tommy Lee is dead. When they reappeared back at your parents' house and saw that the police had arrived, he charged the officers with a gun and was taken down. Wilkins used his teleportation to escape before the police could get to him."

It was several minutes before Clark spoke again, and only the fact that Lex could still sense his presence let him know that Clark hadn't slipped away again.

_"…took me…Reilly Field. They wanted…sneak into LuthorCorp…meteor serum…told them…couldn't...Lee started hitting…fell down…started kicking me…last thing I remember…woke up…like this."_

"I don't understand. How was he able to hurt you?"

_"…no powers."_

"What do you mean, no powers?" Lex asked angrily. "Don't take me for an idiot, Clark. I know you have powers. I've seen them, I've felt them, I've heard about them afterwards. Can we give up the pretense that you're just a regular guy? At this point, it's a little ridiculous."

Lex felt and heard Clark's impatient sigh. He could only imagine the reason that Clark was being so open now, after all this time of lies, was that he realized Lex was the only one who could help him. That hurt a little, but Lex was still glad of the honesty, nonetheless. Or he had been, up till now.

_"I…no powers at the time. They'd…taken away…me."_

"How is that possible?"

_"Long story."_

"It's not like we both don't have plenty of time, Clark," Lex said wryly.

_"I don't know… can trust you, Lex."_

All right, that one really hurt, even though Lex had to admit that his actions of late hadn't been particularly trustworthy. He wondered if Clark knew that Lee, Wilkins and the twins had been working under his orders. Maybe it was time to try a bit of honesty on both sides of this relationship.

"Lee and his men were working for me, Clark. I sent them to get you to try and break into LuthorCorp so that I could have evidence of your abilities. But they were under strict orders not to hurt anyone, and I never intended for them to involve your parents and Lana."

Clark's anger now made his earlier temper seem like a minor irritation. His presence felt so close that Lex thought Clark must be standing right in front of him, probably wishing that he could hit him.

_"Bastard! I knew it!"_

"I'm sorry! I admit, it was a terrible idea, and I certainly wish now that I'd never done it! I never wanted anything to happen to you, of all people!"

_"That's the problem with you, Lex! You never think things all the way through! You think that just because you CAN do something, you should go ahead and DO it!"_

"I was angry! And frustrated because you kept lying to me, right to my face! I knew from the moment I met you that you were different, Clark! Did you think I wouldn't have kept your secret with my life? I told you once that I would do anything for my friends, and you were the best friend I ever had." God, he wished he could see Clark right now! It would make this conversation much easier if he could see Clark's expressions to know if his words were having any effect.

Clark sighed so loudly that Lex could swear he both heard it and felt it on his skin. He wanted to reach out and touch Clark. Would Clark be able to feel his touch, the way Lex had felt the shimmer of Clark's hand on his earlier?

_"Neither of us has always been the best friend. Maybe we can start over. But all the lies and sneaky stuff behind the scenes has got to stop."_

"Does that go both ways?" Lex asked stiffly.

_"Yes, it does. I'm over eighteen now, so I should be able to share my secrets with whoever I choose. But you have to understand that it wasn't just you I didn't tell, Lex. No one but me and my parents knew for the longest time. And then Pete found out by accident, but otherwise no one else knew. Well, and now Chloe knows, too."_

"Chloe? But not Lana?" Lex asked.

_"I just haven't found the right moment to tell her everything yet,"_ Clark said, his tone evasive and uncomfortable.

Lex chose to ignore the obvious opening Clark had given regarding his relationship with Lana. Perhaps it was already petering out. He could only hope. "I imagine your parents were just trying to protect you. But, Clark, I only wanted to protect you, too."

_"Lex, you scared the shit out of me. You were so intense, so much larger than life, that I didn't know how to handle you. I reacted badly, and I know that made things worse, but you do have to remember that I was only fifteen when we met. I'd never come across someone like you before, and I was freaked out about everything. Plus, even I didn't know what was different about me until after you hit me with your car."_

Just hearing those words finally come from Clark's lips healed a hurt deep inside that Lex hadn't realized he still carried. For too long, Lex had been made to feel like he was the crazy one for believing what he knew he'd seen that day long ago on the bridge. To hear Clark acknowledge the truth sent an incredible surge of elation through his body.

"I knew I hit you," he said softly. It was still hard to believe that there was honesty between him and Clark at last, and Lex was half-afraid this was going to turn out to be a dream.

_"Yes, you did,"_ Clark said, and Lex thought he could hear a bit of gentle indulgence in Clark's tone. _"And the reason that it didn't hurt me, is because it's pretty much impossible to hurt me. Or at least it was anyway."_

"You're an alien, aren't you?" Lex blurted out. The only reason he could give for his uncharacteristic impulsivity was that he still feared Clark might try to deny it.

He sensed Clark's surprise, and could also feel a tinge of panic coming over their connection. Lex thought it must be very difficult for Clark to talk openly about something that he'd held so close for his entire life.

_"How did you know?"_

"I've suspected for a while, because I knew that you had far more developed abilities than any of the meteor-affected people in Smallville. Plus there was the octagonal disk, which I knew belonged to you and I also knew was not earthly in origin. And there were several reports of UFO sightings on that day. More than one person saw your ship, but they weren't taken seriously because everyone assumed what they had seen was one of the meteors."

_"Wow. I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought."_

"If there's one thing I've never thought of you, Clark, that would be subtle," Lex said, and it almost felt like they were teasing one another again, like they had in the days when their friendship was new. "Hey, why can I hear you so much better now?"

_"I'm not sure, but I think the connection between us is getting stronger for some reason."_

"Probably because you're not fighting it any longer."

_"What is that supposed to mean?"_

"Seriously, Clark. There's been a connection between us since the moment we met. You can't tell me you haven't felt it. You also can't tell me you were unaware of how I felt, because I know you saw me lose it yesterday in the room."

_"Oh, you mean that room that you promised me you'd done away with? That room, Lex?"_ Clark said, his sarcasm almost worthy of a Luthor.

"We're supposed to be operating under a truce now, so there's no point in bringing that up. Besides, I might have became a little obsessed when you cut off our friendship."

_"A little? That room is like the Museum of Clark Kent!" _Lex could tell he was trying to hold back laughter.

"It's not all about you," Lex said, irritated at Clark's apparent amusement.

_"No, just about ninety-five per cent of it is." _

It was strange; Lex could hear Clark's soft laughter in his head, where he was hearing his voice, but an echo of it sounded in the study and Lex had the impulse to turn his head to see if he would be able to see Clark. But they had more important things to deal with right now.

"You're avoiding the subject."

_"What subject is that?"_

"The connection between us. What you saw in the room. I want to know what it made you feel."

He sensed Clark pulling away again, and forced himself to be patient.

_"I'm not ready for all that stuff, Lex. Can we just figure out how to, uh, fix me before we get to that?"_

"All right, Clark, that's fine." Inside, he was having to control the ridiculous impulse to jump for joy, because that wasn't a no. And to Lex's mind, anything that wasn't an outright 'no' could eventually be cajoled into a 'yes'.

"Mr. Luthor? Were you talking to someone?"

Lex managed to avoid showing that he was startled as he turned to see Mandy in the doorway to the study. She had an expression on her face that said she was concerned about his sanity. Lex thought that most of his staff had probably been wondering about that in the last week or so.

"No, just thinking out loud, Mandy. Did you need something?"

"Your three o'clock is here. Should I reschedule for you?" she asked, uncertainly.

"No, you can show them in. Just give me five minutes, please."

"Certainly, sir," she said, and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Lex hadn't even heard the door open, which was not a good thing. He would need to be more careful in the future.

_"Should I go?" _Clark asked.

"For now, I suppose yes. But I'd like it if you came back later this evening. Would that be agreeable to you? So that we can talk some more about what we're going to do about this?"

_"Okay, sure. Talk to you later then."_

And just like that, in the space between one second and the next, Clark was gone. Lex knew because he could no longer feel or sense him at all. It was an odd feeling and Lex decided that he didn't like it. He would be counting the minutes until he could speak with Clark again.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Part Five**

Clark spent the rest of the afternoon haunting the Talon. He didn't go home very often, as it was just too painful and frustrating to be in the place he loved the most, and yet be unable to communicate with his parents. Somehow, it didn't hurt as much when he was away from the farmhouse.

He couldn't help thinking about everything that had happened in Lex's study earlier. It was such a tremendous relief to just be able to _talk_ to another soul. Clark hadn't realized how much he'd missed the back-and-forth of conversation until he had spoken with Lex.

Just for the hell of it, he tried again now to get through to Lana, Chloe or Lois. His parents weren't here, and Clark worried that they were losing hope as they searched for him. He wished that he could somehow let them know he was still around. His efforts to get the girls to hear him were about as successful as they'd always been, which was to say, not at all. He wondered if Lex would be willing to pass on a message for him to his parents and friends, but dismissed that idea almost as soon as it crossed his mind.

None of them trusted Lex, and a message coming through him would only invite suspicion, and probably ignite another altercation between Lex and Jonathan.

Clark sat in the corner booth of the Talon and just watched life move on around him. He shifted uncomfortably in the seat as echoes of the conversation with Lex danced around his brain. He was trying not to think of the implications in what Lex had said about his feelings for Clark, but the snippets of memory were persistent.

Finally, Clark just stopped trying to fight it and let the thoughts and memories come. He recalled wondering what it would be like to kiss Lex and decided to just let his mind wander down that path. Closing his eyes, Clark imagined Lex's mouth on his. Lex was probably an amazing kisser, and he bet that Lex would know just what to do to make Clark feel good.

Lex would want to use his tongue, Clark just knew, and he pictured that, Lex's tongue in his mouth. Then Lex would want to use that tongue elsewhere on Clark's body. Clark's breath sped up as he imagined Lex kissing his way down, down, until he was breathing on Clark's crotch. Lex would smirk up at Clark as he unfastened his jeans and put his mouth…

Whoa! Clark had to stop then, as he could feel all the intensity of arousal, but nothing was happening down there, and that was a little frustrating. Apparently, being a ghost meant you couldn't get a hard-on. He growled angrily and dropped his head to the back of the booth, staring up at the sparkles on the ceiling as he willed those feelings to die back down.

"Damn. That's another reason we have to figure this out as soon as possible," he muttered.

Once he'd managed to calm himself, Clark glanced up at the clock behind the counter. It was now almost 6:30. Surely, that had to count for evening, didn't it? Clark couldn't quite believe he was so anxious to get back over to the mansion, but there it was. He decided to stop deluding himself and just admit the truth. He couldn't wait to see and talk to Lex again.

If only he'd been able to understand his attraction to his best friend sooner, maybe they could have avoided all this drama. Then again, Clark realized he probably really hadn't been ready to deal with these feelings at sixteen, or even at seventeen. Maybe things with him and Lex had happened as they had for a reason. Now if only he could figure out how to stop being dead.

When he poked his head inside Lex's study a few minutes later, Clark frowned at not seeing him there. Well, he knew that Lex was a busy man. Clark walked into the room and flopped down onto his favorite sofa. After about twenty minutes had gone by, Clark started to wonder if Lex had forgotten that he was supposed to come back over. He was thinking that he should perhaps use his one decent ability of immediate transportation to find out where Lex was, when the man walked into the room. Unfortunately, he was followed by Mandy and Crawford.

Clark realized he shouldn't be annoyed to see Crawford, as the man was the one responsible for the search for his…body? Other self? Clark wasn't sure of the correct term, but either way, he was merely irritated at him right now for obviously keeping Lex.

It mollified him a little that Lex was reading Crawford the riot act for not getting better results. He was ordering the search for Wilkins to be intensified and saying something along the lines of he didn't care whether or not Crawford had to give up eating and sleeping, he would accept no more excuses for failure.

Lex looked so intense while he was being all bossy, that Clark found it kind of hot. Then he remembered that he couldn't do anything about that right now, and he grew annoyed again. The idea that popped into his head right then was utterly wrong, but Clark decided to go through with it anyway.

He had noticed Lex's eyes flick around the room when he'd first entered, probably wondering if Clark was already there or not. Clark wasn't sure how much Lex could sense him as well as hear him, so he glided up behind Lex as quietly as he could. He noted Lex's shoulders tensing and thought he probably knew that Clark was in the room and somewhere nearby.

Clark spent a moment admiring Lex's backside, before he leaned in slowly and licked the little bump on the back of Lex's skull. Now, Clark knew that normally, Lex was very difficult to startle. He seemed to have a built-in radar that allowed him to sense ahead of time things that would frighten most people, but this time? Clark's mission was a complete success. Lex yelped – he actually _yelped_ – and jumped before slapping one hand to the back of his head. Of course, by that time, Clark was well out of the way, with one hand covering his mouth trying to stifle his laughter.

"Sir?" Mandy said in confusion, and Crawford was pointedly looking towards the wall.

Lex sent one fierce glare around the room before turning back to his employees. "Thought I felt a bug," he said shortly. A few seconds after that, he'd hustled them out of the room and closed the door behind them.

He turned back to face the interior of the room, and kept his glare at high. "You think you're funny, but I assure you, you are not," he said sternly.

Clark couldn't hold it back any longer, and pulled his hand away from his mouth as he burst out laughing. "You're wrong! That was hilarious!"

Lex seemed able to hone in on him more accurately when Clark was talking, and his gaze now narrowed in to where Clark was once more lounging on the couch. "What is your fascination with that sofa?"

"It's really comfortable and I like it," Clark said. "You should have heard your voice. I think you got up to the range of one of those boys choirs."

"Again, you are not nearly as funny as you think you are. And I'll have you know that I sang choir until I was twelve. I'm told my voice was angelic."

Clark snorted. "That's not the first word that comes to mind when I think of you."

Lex smirked and one eyebrow raised in a move that Clark had always wished he could do. "And do you think about me often, Clark?" he said, his voice as smooth as silk.

Clark swallowed and then found himself choking on his own spit. He coughed for a good few minutes before he could calm down, and had to listen to Lex snickering the entire time.

"All right, I'll admit I may have deserved that," he said, once he could speak again.

"Yes, you did. However, I am also willing to admit that your prank might have been mildly amusing. Try it again though, and I will find a way to exorcise you."

"Okay, okay, I get the point," Clark said, still chuckling as he recalled the pitch Lex's voice had reached. He only wished he'd thought to get video of it somehow.

Lex told Clark that he'd made sure there would be no interruptions as his staff had been told that he was working on an extremely important project and should not be disturbed upon pain of death…or at least dismissal. He also made certain that he'd locked the study doors and had the room swept thoroughly for any recording devices. Even though his father was currently in Belle Reve in a near-catatonic state, Lex didn't trust that Lionel might not still have some thugs doing his dirty work.

As they'd agreed, Lex and Clark didn't discuss anything pertaining to their personal relationship, or whatever it was at the moment, but instead concentrated on Clark's predicament. Clark mentioned Reilly Field, and was disappointed when Lex told him that area had been searched and nothing had been found.

Clark explained what he knew of how his powers worked, and he told Lex about Jor-El, and how he'd lost those powers. Lex put forth his theory about astral projection again, saying that since Clark was an alien, it could even be one of his abilities that he'd never known about.

"That's just silly. If I'd been able to leave my body, I think I would have done it before now. I haven't developed a new power in a long time, more than a year at least."

"But you've never lost your powers before, have you?"

"Actually, I have. Do you remember Eric Summers from my freshman year?"

"Oh, yes, the one that put you in the hospital with broken ribs. I've always wondered how that happened."

Clark hesitated for a moment. As truthful as he'd been with Lex so far, he still hadn't mentioned Kryptonite. He didn't like to think it was a lack of trust, because he _had_ chosen to trust Lex, but something held him back from letting on that a simple rock could theoretically kill him.

Lex's face went carefully blank when Clark's answer didn't come right away. He didn't say anything, however, and Clark thought that perhaps he was finally learning not to push.

"There are pieces of my home planet scattered around Smallville. They came down with me when my ship crashed on Earth," he said slowly. He knew he had to either completely trust Lex, or not trust him at all, but it was still difficult talking about this so openly with anyone other than his mom and dad.

"The meteor rocks?"

"Yes. They have an odd effect on people, but they can do strange things to me, too. The green ones hurt me, the red ones make me lose my inhibitions, and the black ones split my personality."

"That must make living in Smallville difficult sometimes."

"No kidding," Clark said. "Eric was holding a meteor rock when I was holding onto him and I got struck by lightning-"

"Wait, you _what_?"

"I, um, got struck by lightning," Clark said, confused at Lex's surprise. Hadn't they established that he wasn't human?

"Holy shit, Clark!"

"It's not really that big a deal. I've been set on fire, frozen like a popsicle, thrown hundreds of feet, caught up by a tornado, shot…you name it, I've had it happen to me."

Lex still wasn't saying anything, was just staring in Clark's general direction with a dumbfounded look on his face. Clark thought it was kind of cool, as it wasn't very often that he was able to get one up on Lex. Still, Clark thought that maybe he should reassure Lex.

"It's not like any of that hurt, well, except for getting shot. That one hurt like hell because he used a Kryptonite bullet…" Clark mused half to himself. He winced even now remembering that pain.

"Kryptonite?" Lex questioned, having finally found his voice.

"That's what the meteor rocks are called, after my home planet, Krypton."

"I'm sitting here talking to an alien," Lex said, his voice full of disbelief and just a little awe.

"Well, yeah, but you already knew that, didn't you?" Clark asked, unable to understand why Lex was acting so weird all of a sudden.

"I think it's really just hit me that you are from…outer space, from somewhere out there," Lex said, and waved his hand vaguely towards the stained glass windows. "I need a drink."

He stood and walked over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a healthy glass of scotch. He slammed back a swallow and set the glass back down, hissing slightly at the burn of the alcohol.

Clark stood up and walked over to where Lex was. "You are okay with that? Aren't you?" he asked, that fear of rejection that had haunted him in his early teens looming back up.

Lex had been staring blankly at the wall, and he jerked back to attention at Clark's plaintive question.

"Of course I am! I think it was just my logic catching up to my emotions, or the other way around, I'm not sure. But yes, I'm delirious with joy that you're able to be so honest with me. Are you okay? My freaking out didn't make you freak out, did it?"

"I'm okay," Clark said, relaxing as relief rushed through him at Lex's words, even as he smiled at Lex's sarcastic 'delirious with joy' comment.

"God, I wish I could see you! We have got to figure out how to get you whole again, so I can see your face when we're talking. Come on, let's get back to work." He strode back over to the sofa and Clark followed happily.

They talked for hours and it was only when Lex's head began to nod that Clark realized it was almost one in the morning. He knew Lex's day usually started before dawn, and immediately felt guilty about keeping him from sleep. It was over Lex's protests that Clark got him to go up to bed.

Clark felt a bit awkward when Lex stripped down to his underwear to put a pair of silk sleep pants on, but he didn't think Lex noticed as he was obviously exhausted. When Lex crawled into his bed, Clark turned to leave. He didn't really need to sleep himself, so he usually just wandered around Smallville during the night.

"Clark?" Lex called sleepily.

"Yeah, Lex?" He moved to stand at the side of the bed, looking down at Lex.

"Stay until I fall asleep?" he asked, the words slightly slurred. Clark thought he could do that, as it looked like Lex would be sound asleep in about three seconds.

"Sure. I'll be right here," Clark said softly.

Lex, his eyes already closed, still managed to chuckle at that, and said, "Heh, okay, E.T." Two seconds later, he was sound asleep.

Clark knew he should go ahead and leave, as it was really kind of stalkery to just watch Lex sleep, but the other man was so beautiful. Clark's breath caught in his throat as he watched the moonlight fall across Lex's pale skin. He wondered if Lex's skin could possibly be as soft as it looked, and reached a hand out unconsciously to touch Lex's face. Halfway there, he realized what he was doing and pulled it back.

Clark didn't know how it felt to Lex when he touched him, although he hadn't seemed to dislike it when Clark had touched his hand. Still, Lex needed his sleep, and Clark thought a touch would probably be enough to wake him. Reluctantly, he turned and left Lex's bedroom. He trusted Lex to decipher this puzzle, but Clark could only hope that would happen soon.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Part Six**

Over the next several days, Clark spent more and more time at Lex's mansion. It was simply too frustrating and disappointing to not be able to communicate with his parents or his friends, and he could _talk_ with Lex. Even if they couldn't truly touch each other, it was human contact and Clark was desperate for human contact.

He would spend part of the day while Lex was working wandering around the mansion and checking out all the rooms he'd never been in before, but Clark usually ended up back in Lex's study not long after lunch. Because he knew that if he was there in the room, Lex would know, and eventually Lex would stop working and pay attention to Clark. It was pretty amazing to have Lex's uninterrupted attention again like he had when he was younger.

Now if only they could figure out how to make him whole again.

They talked, schemed, and brainstormed well into the wee hours of the morning several times, but neither could come up with a plan that was feasible. It came down to the fact that they needed to find Davey Wilkins. He was the only one who might know where Clark's body was located, but all of Lex's team's efforts at finding him had so far been fruitless.

It was a Thursday, thirteen days after the incident at the farmhouse, and even Clark was starting to get a little depressed. Lex had some weird kind of optimism that refused to let him give up. Personally, Clark thought it was more pure stubbornness and that he could not admit that there was a problem that he couldn't solve. It was likely that Lex would be working on this 24/7 if Clark didn't make him stop to sleep every night.

Clark had just left the mansion a few seconds ago. Lex had been on his way up to bed, but had insisted that Clark go see his parents for a bit. He hadn't been back home now in almost two full days. He realized that he was avoiding them, but he was confused as to why Lex should care.

"Because you aren't trying to come back just for me, and I don't want you to forget _all_ the reasons that we're doing this. As much as your father and I don't get along, I respect him much more than I do my own father."

There wasn't much Clark could say in response to that, and it even made him feel a tinge of shame. He'd thought only his mother was capable of inducing that kind of guilt with just a few words.

When he popped into the yard of the farmhouse, the house was completely dark, but then, it was a little after two in the morning. Delaying going into the house, Clark went into the barn and up to his loft. His Fortress of Solitude, as his dad had named it. He spent a while up there, sitting on the old couch, and just thinking. Finally, knowing that he shouldn't put it off any longer, he left the barn and moved slowly towards the house. He went up the kitchen stairs and stepped into the upstairs hallway.

Pausing beside his own room, Clark took a moment to look inside. His mom and dad hadn't changed anything since he'd left them. His bed was still unmade, and that told Clark more than anything that his parents weren't handling this well. His mom was a bit of a neat freak, and Clark could not remember his bed ever going unmade. Even once he was old enough to do it himself, if he forgot, his mother could never resist making his bed.

Too disheartened to look at the space he'd called his own any longer, Clark moved on down the hall to his parents' room. Force of habit had him easing his way quietly towards the bed, even though a part of his brain knew that if he'd stomped in screaming at the top of his lungs, he wouldn't be heard.

Clark frowned as he got to the side of the double bed and realized that only his father was there. Had something happened to his mom? He panicked for a few minutes, his head spinning with terrible imaginings of what might have happened.

He blinked in confusion as he suddenly found himself down in the living room, in front of the couch. To his surprise, his mother was sleeping there instead of in her own bed, and she was clutching Clark's pillow tightly to her chest. There were dried tear tracks on her cheeks and Clark felt a wave of hurt and longing as he knelt down in front of her. He reached out a hand to touch her cheek, and he could almost – _almost_ – feel the warmth of her skin beneath his hand.

He thanked whatever higher power was responsible – and Clark really wasn't sure at this point if that was God or Jor-El – for the one ghostly ability he had, which had brought him to her before he could really panic.

Clark stood up so fast that he almost lost his balance and fell backwards as the answer to everything slapped him in the face. He was so excited that he immediately popped back to the mansion so that he could tell Lex.

He didn't speak as soon as he appeared in Lex's bedroom because he figured his friend was asleep and Clark didn't want to startle him. Then he didn't speak, because he couldn't. Lex was in bed, but he certainly wasn't sleeping.

Lex was sprawled on his bed, eyes closed, propped up by at least half a dozen pillows, and completely naked. His left hand was slowly stroking his cock while the other hand was pinching one of his nipples. As Clark stared in fascination, he moved his hand to the other nipple and played with it, as his hips arched slightly upwards.

Clark realized that Lex was thoroughly enjoying himself, and it was so unlike his own experiences with masturbation that it was mesmerizing. Clark's moments of self-satisfaction were usually conducted hurriedly in his own bed, under the covers, jerking himself fast and rough as he tried to get off before his parents could hear him.

There was a fine sheen of sweat covering Lex's body, and Clark got the impression that he'd been at this for some time now. Maybe he'd come right up to his room after Clark had left earlier, and stripped off immediately, so that he could touch himself. Maybe he was even thinking of Clark as he did so.

Unable to stop himself, Clark drifted closer, his mind anticipating what it would look like when Lex came. He wanted to watch it happen, to see if his imagination would match up to reality. Lex's skin was almost glowing in the moonlight, and Clark again felt the urge to reach out and touch. Then guilt began to creep in. He was spying on his best friend in an extremely private moment. This was utterly wrong.

"Mmm, Clark," Lex murmured as he continued to pleasure himself.

"Oh!" Clark gasped in amazement. Lex _was_ thinking of him!

"I know you're there, Clark. I sensed you as soon as you came into my room. Enjoying the show?" Lex said. His eyes opened and he looked immediately in Clark's direction. It always impressed Clark that Lex could so unerringly know where he was in the room, even though he couldn't see him.

"Yes. You're so beautiful, Lex," Clark whispered reverently.

Lex smiled lazily and almost preened at Clark's words. "Will you lie down with me? I want to feel you near me."

As if in a daze, Clark crawled up onto the bed to lie down on Lex's right side. That way, he could still have a clear view of Lex's left hand doing its work. Clark's mouth dropped open slightly as he stared at the head of Lex's cock, disappearing and reappearing as his hand moved steadily up and down.

Of its own volition, Clark's hand reached down and settled over Lex's as it moved. Lex gasped loudly and his hips surged upwards at Clark's touch. Startled, Clark pulled his hand away, worried that he'd presumed too much.

"No, don't stop. Touch me again, Clark, please!" Lex said, his voice barely more than a rasp, and Clark noticed that his hand had definitely sped up.

Feeling more bold, Clark put his hand back over Lex's again, moving with him as Lex stroked himself. Then, even more bravely, he slid his hand down to cup Lex's balls, wondering if that would feel good. Apparently, it did, as Lex almost screamed in delight.

* * *

><p>Lex couldn't hold back the cry that escaped him when Clark's touch moved down to cradle his balls. He'd never felt pleasure so intense in his life, and Lex had done a hell of a lot of things in search of pleasure during his misspent youth.<p>

He had promised Clark that they wouldn't talk about the personal side of their relationship until they found a way to 'cure' him, but it was driving Lex insane to be so near to Clark, and be unable to touch or see him. Lex had been wanking himself raw the times he'd been able to find a few minutes alone.

He'd been unable to fall asleep after Clark had left, and had decided to see if orgasm would work as a sleep aid. Naturally, he thought of Clark as he began to touch himself, so when he had sensed Clark come into the room right in the middle, he thought at first that his imagination had conjured him. He still hadn't quite believed it until he felt Clark lay down beside him on the bed. Even then, he kept expecting Clark to bolt at any moment.

So when he felt the tingle of Clark's touch on his hand, the hand that was so close to his cock, Lex had to squeeze himself to hold off instantaneous climax, and he couldn't help but gasp. It was the fulfillment of every dirty fantasy Lex had ever had about an underage farm boy come to life. When Clark pulled away, Lex thought he was leaving and almost panicked. He was so close to coming, and he wanted it to happen with Clark touching him.

He had to squeeze himself again when Clark's hand moved lower to caress his balls. Lex wanted this to last as long as possible. He only wished he could see Clark's face and touch him in return.

_"God, Lex, I wish I could really touch you,"_ Clark said, his voice right beside Lex's ear, and that was a turn-on almost as much as Clark's hand between his legs was.

"What would you do?"

_"I don't know,"_ Clark said, sounding unsure and embarrassed, but he kept touching Lex, which was a relief.

"Just tell me what you'd like to do. Where would you want to touch me?" Lex said encouragingly.

_"I'd want to touch you everywhere. Your shoulders, your back, your chest, your neck."_ As he said neck, Lex could almost feel Clark's breath brushing against his skin. He moaned, his hand moving faster, spurred on by the sensation of Clark's hand just under his cock, gently rolling his balls.

"Then what?" he gasped.

_"Then I would want to kiss you wherever my hands had touched. I want to put my mouth all over you, Lex. I'd want you to kiss me, too. I want to feel your tongue in my mouth and mine in yours,"_ Clark said.

"Oh, fuck," Lex whimpered. For being new to dirty talk, or so Lex assumed, Clark wasn't half-bad at it.

_"You know what else I would want in my mouth, Lex?"_ Clark asked, and Lex swore he could feel Clark's lips on his ear.

"What?" Lex asked.

_"This,"_ Clark whispered. Lex's left hand was pushed gently away, and he could feel the electricity of Clark's hand wrapping around his cock and stroking firmly.

That was all it took for Lex to come, and so intense was the sensation, that he practically howled and everything went white for a moment. His body jerked and shuddered through the aftershocks, as his cock still trickled a last few drops of semen. He collapsed boneless back onto the bed, trying to get his breath back.

_"Wow. That was…amazing,"_ Clark's voice said in his ear, and Lex thought he could hear a smile as well as a bit of awe.

"It was, wasn't it? Was it good for you, too?" Lex asked teasingly.

To Lex's surprise, Clark sighed sadly, and then said, _"Not really. I kind of can't do any of that while I'm like this. Not that I didn't enjoy watching you."_

Lex had just had the most incredible sexual experience of his life – so far, anyway; he was still anticipating when Clark was back to normal – and Clark hadn't been able to feel anything at all?

"That's just tragic. We have got to get you fixed."

Clark chuckled in his ear and then it felt like he was laying his head on Lex's shoulder. Lex closed his eyes, content for the moment. The only thing that would make this better was if Clark was here completely.

"Not that I'm unappreciative of your presence, but what are you doing back here? I thought you were going to spend some time at your parents' house."

_"Oh, I completely forgot! I know how to find Davey Wilkins!"_ Clark said, the excitement in his voice obvious.

Lex's post-orgasmic haze of bliss instantly vanished and he sat up to start questioning Clark. "Where is he? Why didn't you say something sooner? How did you find him?" Then he started to move towards the side of the bed, intending to get up and get men on apprehending Wilkins immediately.

_"Whoa, where are you going?"_

"To call Crawford, of course," Lex said. He paused as he felt Clark's touch on his arm. God, even just that touch on his arm had Lex's cock stirring back to life, but he willed it back down, as he had other things to do at the moment.

_"It's nearly three in the morning, Lex! Besides, I didn't say I knew where he was right now. I said I figured out how we can find him."_

"How?" Lex asked.

_"I'm not explaining anything until you get back in the bed. You need your sleep,"_ Clark said stubbornly.

Lex reminded himself that he needed to have patience in dealing with Clark about a great many things. For the longest time, it had been about his powers. Then, it was about the issue of their personal relationship. Now, apparently, it was about the fact that Clark thought he knew best for Lex. There was going to be some serious discussion about the dynamics of their relationship once all the dust had settled.

"I need a shower first," Lex said, just to be contrary, and slipped off the bed to head into his en suite bathroom. He expected Clark to follow and was pleased when he sensed him come into the bathroom.

Lex liked his showers hot, so it wasn't long before steam was filling up the room. He took his time about washing his body as he knew that Clark was watching, and Lex couldn't resist showing off and teasing the younger man a little. He sensed Clark standing just behind him and turned to look over his shoulder. Lex almost dropped the soap when he realized that he could see the vague outline of Clark's huge body in the shimmering steam. His mouth dropped open and he turned around to look more closely at Clark's ghostly image.

_"What's wrong? Are you okay?"_ Clark asked, his voice sounding worried.

"I can almost see you," Lex whispered. He reached out to touch the curve of Clark's shoulder, and while he couldn't exactly feel it, there was definitely something there, a resistance almost like an electrical field.

_"You can?"_ Clark said, his voice trembling and hopeful.

"I still can't see your face, but I can tell exactly where you are. God, Clark, I want to see you so much! Why can't we go get Wilkins now?" he said, frustrated that he had to be separated from the man he loved for one minute longer than necessary.

_"I want that as much as you do, Lex, believe me, I do! But I worry about you. You've been pushing yourself so hard these last few days. We can make it for one more day. That's all it will be. One more day." _

"One more day," Lex agreed reluctantly.

Somehow, he managed to finish his shower and get back into the bed. Clark didn't make any pretense about leaving and laid down beside him. Lex closed his eyes, picturing in his mind the moment when he could have Clark in his bed for real. It was to that image that he finally fell asleep.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Lex was up at six, preparing for the events of the day to come. He'd grown very excited when Clark told him about the ability to just pop up in front of whomever he was thinking about at the time. Clark thought it would be very easy for him to show up wherever Wilkins was, then pop back to Lex and tell him the location.

Lex could sense Clark watching indulgently as he prepared plans, and back-up plans, and back-ups to the back-up plans. He had already spoken to Crawford and his team, letting them know to be ready to move on a moment's notice. Even though he didn't owe his employee any explanations, Lex had told Crawford that he'd received inside information from a source close to Wilkins. Let the man wonder why he hadn't been able to uncover that information for himself; Lex was already irritated with his general lack of progress in this situation.

"Okay, we're ready," he said to Clark as they sat alone in Lex's study. "Concentrate on Wilkins, find out where he is and return immediately here to let me know. Don't try to communicate with him. If it turns out that you can for some reason, we don't want to tip him off."

_"Sir, yes sir!"_ Clark said, and Lex could imagine him saluting mockingly.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're not funny?"

He felt Clark's chuckle near his left shoulder and unconsciously leaned his head in that direction.

_"I couldn't help it. You sounded so in charge. It's very hot,"_ Clark whispered right in his ear.

"I'm just anxious for this to be over," Lex whispered, and then mentally cringed at letting his fear show. He still didn't like to show his vulnerability, even in front of Clark.

_"Me, too,"_ Clark whispered in return.

Lex could hear the understanding and reassurance in those two simple words. It cheered him, and made him think that a happily-ever-after might really be around the corner for himself and Clark. Of course, then he wanted to kick himself for even thinking such a thing. Surely, a Luthor wasn't entitled to a happy ending. But he desperately wanted one.

Lex cleared his throat, trying to banish all those thoughts. They certainly weren't doing him any good at the moment, and he needed to focus on the task at hand.

"You'd, ah, better get going," he said, purposely making his voice gruff to hide any fear from Clark.

He closed his eyes as he felt Clark's presence brush against his cheek, and he thought that might have been a kiss. Lex's heart ached at the thought of finally being able to feel Clark's lips for real.

_"I am coming back, Lex. And you'll fix this, and then we'll be together. I promise."_

Lex didn't reply, but waited until he felt the emptiness of the room that signified Clark was gone. When he opened his eyes, he glared at nothing.

"I hope you're right, Clark."

* * *

><p>Clark focused on the image of Davey Wilkins in his mind, and a moment later, his ghostly powers kicked in and he was standing in the middle of a dingy bar. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the filth he saw around him. The floor was dirty, the bar was nasty, and the few patrons inside didn't look much better.<p>

His eyes scanned the room until he saw Wilkins slumped over at the end of the bar. Clark moved closer just to make sure it was him. The man looked drunk already and it was barely noon! Or at least it was noon in Smallville. Clark supposed they could be anywhere in the world, given Davey's meteor ability. He thought they were probably still in America at least, as everyone was speaking English. There was a battered television up in the corner behind the bar, so Clark edged closer to that, to see if he could get a clue what city they were in.

To his astonishment, it was the twelve o'clock news from Metropolis! Clark grinned in delight. Lex knew Metropolis like the back of his hand, so he'd probably know where this bar was right away. Then Clark realized he had to get the name of the bar before he popped back to Lex. Giving Wilkins one last stare, almost with pity because the man did look pathetic and exhausted, Clark stepped out the front doors and looked to see if the place had a marquee.

Clark popped back to Smallville by concentrating on Lex. The other man was waiting in his study, and Clark could see the tension in every line of his body. Almost as soon as Clark arrived, Lex turned, obviously having sensed him in the room.

"He's in Metropolis at a bar. It's a dive and that's what it's called. The actual name of the bar is Denny's Dive!" Clark said, still amused by that.

"Was he alone?"

"I didn't see anyone else with him. And he looked to be already pretty drunk, so I don't think he'll be going anywhere for a while."

"Excellent," Lex murmured. He picked up his phone and pressed a couple of buttons. "Crawford. I have a location. A bar in Metropolis called Denny's Dive. Make sure you have all the equipment necessary to hold him and pick him up immediately. Do not screw this up," he said.

Lex didn't bother to add any threats, and Clark knew he didn't really need to. It would be bad to be Crawford if he let Wilkins slip through his fingers again.

After he hung up the phone, Lex looked towards Clark. "We're almost there."

"Yeah," Clark said, softly. He was beginning to get a little anxious himself. "Why do you think he was back in Metropolis? If I was him and I knew people were chasing me, I would want to get as far away as possible_."_

"Perhaps. But you have to remember, he's been on the run for weeks now, and he's undoubtedly paranoid and exhausted. He knows Metropolis, it's his hometown. He probably wants to be where he's most comfortable and he thinks that he'll be able to get away any time he needs to."

"Lex," Clark said cautiously. "You mentioned equipment when you talked to Crawford. What exactly are they going to do?"

"They're simply going to use a specially designed pair of handcuffs that keep him from using his power. He won't be able to teleport away," Lex said. "Clark. Perhaps you should go see your parents and Chloe for a while."

Clark narrowed his eyes at Lex's suggestion. It sounded as though he might be up to something that Clark wouldn't agree with. "Why? What are you planning to do to Wilkins once you have him?"

"I'm not going to bring out the whips and knives, if that's what you're wondering. But he is the only thing standing between you and me being together. He's going to tell me what I want to know."

"That sounds like you're going to torture him, Lex! I don't want you to do that, not even for me," Clark protested.

"Things may get a little…intense, yes, but I'm not going to permanently injure him, I promise you. But I worry that it may be too much for you to deal with, which is why I want you to go to the farmhouse!" Lex's voice had gotten louder as he spoke, so that by the end of his sentence, he was shouting. Clark watched as he visibly tried to calm himself.

"I know that I've done things in the past that you didn't think were right. But I swear to you, I have the best of intentions here. I'm not going to hurt him, but I may threaten to hurt him, and he won't know that I'm not going to follow through. It would be easier for me if you weren't here, because honestly, you're a huge distraction for me."

"I don't know…" Clark said, doubtfully. Perhaps there was a tiny part of him that hadn't completely put his trust in Lex yet, because he worried that Lex would not be able to restrain himself from doing serious damage to Wilkins if he decided to get stubborn and not reveal what Lex wanted to know.

"I promise on my mother's grave, Clark, that Wilkins won't be hurt. I need you to trust me on this," Lex said insistently.

Clark wondered if Lex could somehow read his mind. He stared at the man he loved, the man who was willing to go above and beyond to bring Clark back from the dead. Then Clark jerked in surprise as he realized what had just run through his mind. He loved Lex. He was in love with Lex Luthor! Maybe it should have frightened him, this realization, but instead, it was as though Clark was able to let go of the last doubts and fears he had. He loved Lex, therefore, he trusted Lex. And if Lex said that he was not going to hurt Wilkins, then Clark would believe him.

He must have been silent for a long time, because when he refocused on the study, Lex was standing there with a tense look on his face.

"Clark?" he said softly, a tinge of worry in his tone.

"I believe in you, Lex. I trust you to do the right thing."

The look on Lex's face just then was radiant, and Clark couldn't help the thrill of satisfaction that went through him knowing that his words had put that expression there.

"Thank you."

"When should I come back?"

"Once we find out what we need to know, I'll call the farmhouse, let it ring twice, and then hang up."

"Okay," Clark agreed, but he was still reluctant to go. He didn't like the idea of leaving Lex to deal with this on his own. Not that he could do much in his present state, but he did like to think that he could at least provide moral support.

After a couple of minutes, Lex tossed a sardonic grin in Clark's general direction. "That means you actually have to go, Clark."

"Darn, you really are good with the sensing my presence thing, aren't you?" Clark teased.

"What can I say? My Jedi powers are superior."

Clark laughed. He was glad to hear Lex making a joke, as it meant he must have relaxed a little. "You're such a geek."

"I most certainly am not."

"Yes, you are. But that's okay because I like geeks," Clark said. He wished he could hug Lex, but he settled for running a hand down Lex's back, knowing that he would feel it. He watched as Lex shuddered a bit, closing his eyes as his head tilted backwards. "Be careful. I'll be waiting to hear from you."

He lingered for just a moment more, and then popped back to his parents' house.

When he got there, his parents and Chloe were sitting in the kitchen. Clark noticed that Chloe looked pretty shaken and he wondered what had happened. He listened in astonishment as she told his mom and dad about a classmate of theirs named Gabriel, who'd attempted to launch a nuclear missile at Smallville.

How in the hell had he and Lex missed _that_ happening? Clark had known that they were pretty involved in their own issues right now, but this had obviously been a big deal for Chloe, not to mention everyone else in town. Gabriel had kidnapped Chloe, intending to make her watch as he destroyed Smallville. Luckily, she'd managed to wrestle with him for the gun he was holding, and shot him before the missile could be launched.

Looking at Chloe right now, Clark thought that 'lucky' might not be the right word to use. Chloe looked devastated, and Clark could imagine the guilt she felt at having taken someone's life. Clark had had to deal with that himself a few times, and he knew it was never easy. He hated that Chloe had been forced to deal with that alone. If he had been here, he would have never let her handle things by herself.

"I just miss Clark so much!" Chloe said, tears spilling from her eyes. "I know he probably would have handled this so much better. He could have stopped it without killing Gabriel."

"Don't blame yourself, Chloe. And as much as I love Clark, I'm not sure what he could have done differently without his powers. Although, I know it would have been easier to have someone else to lean on. I'm so sorry you had to deal with this by yourself," Martha said, reaching over to take Chloe's hand in hers.

"I know it's tough having to think about what you had to do, but remember that you saved thousands of lives. I think Clark would be really proud of that," Jonathan said. Clark could see that he was trying to give her a brave smile, but it looked more sad to him.

They were quiet for a few minutes and Clark wished again for the millionth time that he could let them know he was here, let them know that he and Lex were working on a solution, and that he would hopefully be back with them soon. But it was business as usual, and they had no idea that he was in the room.

"Do you think he's still alive out there somewhere?" Chloe blurted, and then covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes wide with shock. She moved her hand and said quickly, "I'm sorry, that was so insensitive!"

"It's all right," Martha said, and now she was crying, too. "I will have hope, until I'm shown proof positive that there is no hope. Even with no powers, Clark is an extraordinary young man, and I have the ultimate faith, that if it is at all possible for him to find his way back to us, then he will."

Clark found himself near tears now, extremely moved by his mother's belief in him. He'd always thought that he had the best parents in the world, and now he knew for certain.

"Just be patient a little longer, Mom. I swear to you that I'll be home soon," Clark whispered. He could only hope that Lex was having luck in getting the information he needed from Wilkins.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Lex sat on the couch that Clark loved so much and waited for word from Crawford. He tried not to let himself think too much about what would happen should Wilkins get away again. He'd never been much of an optimist, but he refused to believe that this could lead to anything other than success.

An hour and a half later, thanks to judicious use of the company helicopter, Lex was waiting in one of the mansion's unused rooms when Davey Wilkins was dragged inside. The only bit of furniture was a single chair, and the men forced Wilkins to sit. His hands were bound by the specially designed cuffs that prevented him from teleporting.

The two guards stepped back so that he could see Lex standing in front of him, but they stayed ready, just in case. Not that Lex thought Wilkins was going to try anything, as he looked completely defeated. His eyes met Lex's for just an instant, before they dropped to the floor.

"Mr. Wilkins. I'm so pleased that you could join us at last," Lex said, a cold smile on his face.

"I didn't want any part of what happened, Mr. Luthor. I swear! Tommy was crazy! All that electricity messed up his brain. I didn't have anything to do with that kid dying," Davey babbled.

"That may be true," Lex said. "But what I want to know is what Lee did with Clark Kent."

Wilkins gave him an odd look. "What does it matter now? You can't do anything to the guy. He's dead."

Fury pulsed through Lex's body so quickly that he swore he could feel the heat of it on his skin. He surged forward, grabbed Wilkins by the neck and squeezed just enough to scare the hell out of the man.

"Why I want to know is none of your business. The fact is you are going to tell me what happened to Clark Kent, or I will personally break. Every. Bone. In. Your. Body," Lex snarled. He knew he'd made a promise to Clark, and he fully intended to keep it, but at that moment, Lex really wanted to hurt the bastard in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't hurt me. I'll tell you where he is, I'll tell you, just please don't hurt me," Wilkins choked out around Lex's hand, sobbing all the while.

In disgust, Lex let him go and stepped back. He crossed his arms and gave the pathetic mess in front of him a Luthor glare, one truly worthy of Lionel. It worked immediately and Wilkins started talking. He told of how Clark had denied being super-powered and told them he couldn't do what they wanted him to do. He told of how angry Lee had become and how he'd taken that anger out on a helpless Clark.

Lex clenched his fists, resisting the urge to take his anger out on Wilkins for everything that Clark had had to endure. Mixed in with that was his own guilt for making it possible for these maniacs to have access to Clark in the first place.

"Where is he?" Lex asked impatiently. He was barely holding back the urge to beat this guy to a pulp, and the only thing that would stop that happening was Clark's location.

"The water tower in Reilly Field. He's inside it," Wilkins said in a rush.

Lex felt a rush of elation at finally knowing where Clark was. Now all he had to do was bring him home, and the mansion was definitely home as far as he was concerned. He looked up at one of the guards.

"Keep him contained until I've notified you that we have Clark secured here. As soon as that happens, you can turn him in to the sheriff's office."

Lex turned and left the room, calling for Crawford as soon as he cleared the door. The man appeared in less than two seconds and Lex realized he'd probably been stationed right outside the room. That was how efficient Crawford was, or rather that's how efficient he _usually_ was. Lex grabbed hold of Crawford's tie and yanked him forward so that he could get right in his face.

"Did you or did you not inform me that Reilly Field was searched? And that there was nothing to be found there?" he ground out.

"Y-yes, sir, I did."

"The men responsible for searching that area are to be fired immediately. But before you do that, have a team go to Reilly Field, tell them to look in the goddamn water tower and bring Clark Kent here!" Lex let go of Crawford's tie and gave him a sharp shove. "Now!"

Crawford jumped to do Lex's bidding, hurrying around the corner, speaking into his radio as he did so. Lex glared after him for a moment, before turning to go in the opposite direction. While he had been busily making all his plans early this morning, he'd also arranged for another room in the castle to be set up as a hospital room. A second room had been outfitted to be an OR if it was necessary. There was a medical team standing by, personnel that were being paid ridiculous sums of money for their cooperation and their silence.

Lex hadn't said anything, because he wasn't sure if Clark realized it, but his body was bound to be in poor shape when they recovered it. He'd been beaten and he'd been up in that water tower for nearly three weeks with no food or water. An ordinary man would most certainly be dead, but Lex was counting on the fact that, with or without his powers, Clark was still an alien. That completely changed the odds and Lex was willing to bet everything that Clark was still alive.

He checked in with the doctor and his team, making sure they were ready for Clark's arrival, and then all they had to do was wait.

* * *

><p>At the edge of Reilly Field, a black van sped down the road and screeched to a halt near the abandoned water tower. The side door slid open and half a dozen men, all dressed in black, jumped out and headed for the tower. There was no way to get to the top of the structure, so they pulled an expanding ladder from the top of the van.<p>

Two other men readied a stretcher as the first man was already halfway up the ladder. He stepped gingerly onto the small ledge that surrounded the tank, and then pulled out a small chainsaw from the bag over his shoulder. They knew there was no feasible way to get a body up and over the top of the tower, so they had decided to just cut through the side to get to their goal.

It was only a matter of minutes before he had a hole big enough for a man to step through. A trickle of filthy water that was all that was remaining in the water tower spilled out, but he ignored that. Looking inside, he could see the still form of a young man.

"He's in there! Bring the stretcher up."

Once they had the stretcher in position beside the victim, one of his teammates helped the leader lift the boy and place him on it, securely strapping him down. The leader looked down at the kid, able to see his face clearly thanks to the weak rays of sunlight that filtered through the cracks of the water tower's roof.

"Poor bastard. I hope he makes it," he muttered to himself.

They attached ropes to the ends of the stretcher and the two of them braced themselves against the wall of the water tower, slowly and carefully lowering their cargo to the men waiting below.

Once he was safely on the ground, the victim was placed into the van. In a matter of minutes, the rest of the team was in the van as well, and they were racing towards the Luthor mansion.

* * *

><p>Clark was lounging on his parent's living room couch, listening to his mom and dad talking softly in the kitchen. Chloe had finally left about an hour ago, and Clark hoped that she'd felt a little comforted about the Gabriel ordeal after talking with Martha and Jonathan. He sighed as he glanced over at the clock on the mantle for what had to be the twentieth time in just the last five minutes. What could possibly be taking Lex so long with Wilkins?<p>

It had only been a couple of hours since Clark had left the mansion, but it felt like days had passed. He was anxious to be whole again, so that he could be with Lex, hug his parents, comfort Chloe. He felt like his life had been put on hold, and he was more than ready for someone to press play.

He leapt up when the phone rang, holding his breath as he waited to see if this was the signal that Lex had promised. Sure enough, it rang twice and then went silent. His mother stopped in her tracks on the way to answer it, and turned back to his dad with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I guess it was a wrong number," she said softly as she sat back down at the kitchen table.

"No, it was the right number, Mom," Clark said, feeling exultant.

He wished he could kiss her right now, but had to settle for a promise in his heart that he would do so as soon as he had the chance. Right now, he took a moment to look at his parents, hoping this would be the last time he had to see them like this. Then Clark popped over to the castle, eager to discover what Lex had been able to accomplish.

Lex was in the study as usual when Clark arrived and he seemed to have been waiting on him.

"Lex! Did you find…" Clark found himself unable to complete that sentence, because he wasn't sure what to say. Me? Him? It?

"Yes. The water tower in Reilly Field was the location, which is probably why you were fixated so strongly there. Unfortunately, my people told me they had searched the area, but none of them thought to look in the water tower. Either way, the mission was a success. I've received word that the van should be here within minutes."

Clark couldn't help but notice that Lex seemed unable to figure out how to refer to his physical body either, so in a weird way, that made him feel better. Just then, Crawford's voice sounded on the mansion's intercom.

_"They've arrived, Mr. Luthor. East entrance."_

Lex acknowledged with a simple 'thank you' and then glanced in Clark's direction. "Let's go."

As they moved through the castle, Lex spoke softly. "Clark, you need to be prepared for what you might see. You were in the water tower for a while and that was after a severe beating. It may be somewhat unsettling for you."

"It's nice that you're worried about me, Lex, but I'll be fine. I'm ready for this to be over with," Clark said. He wasn't going to admit to Lex that he was a little scared about what his body might look like. Lex had enough on his mind as it was.

By the time they made their way to the opposite end of the mansion, the van had already unloaded Clark's body and transferred him to the bed in the room Lex had set up. The medical team had swarmed around him, checking vitals and visible wounds. The doctor in charge was barking out incomprehensible orders to the rest of his team.

Clark drifted closer, pulled by a morbid curiosity that he couldn't begin to explain, even to himself. It was like watching a really bad home movie. His skin was pale, his cheeks and eyes seemed shrunken in, and there were huge nasty bruises all over his torso and face. The medical team had already stripped his clothes off so he was able to see the places where Lee had kicked him. It was ugly. It was terrifying.

His chest began to feel tight, as though he couldn't get any air, and Clark felt as if he were going to pass out. He tried to move away from the table where his body lay, and found that he couldn't move.

"Lex?" he called out, suddenly more frightened than he'd been since this whole ordeal had begun.

"Clark?" he heard Lex say his name, but despite his every effort, he couldn't turn around, couldn't pull away from the spot he was rooted to. The entire room seemed to spin and the edges of his vision began to darken. Clark feared he was dying, and wanted to scream for Lex again, but then he couldn't even speak. It felt as though he were being sucked into a giant vacuum and then everything went dark.

A moment or an eternity later, he opened his eyes and all he could see was the ceiling above him. He heard gasps and voices yelling and it was loud and, God, he _hurt_! There didn't seem to be an inch of his body that wasn't in pain, and Clark wasn't used to that, not at all.

Instinctively, he cried out for the one person he knew would do anything to help him.

"Lex!"

And instantly, Lex was there, staring down at him with worry and love in his eyes. Clark flailed outward with one hand, needing to touch as well as see. Lex grasped his hand and started talking to him.

"It's going to be all right, Clark. These people are going to take good care of you and I'll be right here when you're all better. I'm not going anywhere, do you hear me? I'll be right here," Lex said as he squeezed Clark's hand.

Clark tried to smile, but his face felt funny and he wasn't sure how successful he was. "I'm s'posed to be E.T, 'member?" he said, and blinked in confusion at how slurred his voice sounded. "I don't feel very good, Lex…" he said, and the next thing he knew, his entire world went dark.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Part Nine**

"Clark? Clark!" Lex shouted, fear making his knees weak as he watched Clark lose consciousness.

He had sensed Clark's fear and confusion upon seeing his body in the state that it was in, but the last thing he'd expected was for his spirit to spontaneously rejoin its flesh. He couldn't sense Clark's presence in the room anymore, could only see him lying on the table in front of him and it didn't look good.

Still, he had opened his eyes for a few moments, had asked for Lex and known that he was there. Lex hoped that was a sign that he was going to recover from this. Certainly, Clark had gone through far worse things and survived.

"Mr. Luthor, we need to take him to surgery now," the doctor said. He was pulling gently on Lex's arm and that's when Lex realized he was still holding onto Clark's hand.

Reluctantly, he let go and turned his head to look at the doctor. Kevin Carson, that was his name. One of the brightest minds that Metropolis Medical University had turned out in several decades, and luckily for Lex and Clark, he had a couple hundred thousand dollars in student loan debt. Lex had wiped that debt clean and offered him substantially more for his cooperation in this.

"Surgery?" he asked, his mind trying to throw off the numbness that had settled on him since he'd seen Clark's battered body.

"Without an x-ray, I can't be one hundred per cent certain, but I'm sure that he has some internal injuries. We need to get in there and stop any bleeding. He might also have some brain damage from the blows to his head."

Lex grabbed the man by the shoulders and looked at him, knowing there was desperation in his eyes, but unable to hide it. "Do whatever you have to do, Dr. Carson, but please don't let him die."

"I'll do everything in my power, Mr. Luthor, I promise. But we need to move quickly now," he said gently.

Lex let go of his arms and took a step back, nodding once to let Carson know he understood. He watched, still numb, as they wheeled Clark into the room next to this one, and firmly closed the door behind them.

He hadn't prayed since before his mother died, but Lex sank to his knees now, closed his eyes, and silently begged God to save Clark. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, but eventually Mandy came and got him off the floor. She led him to his bedroom, which was on the same hall as the rooms he'd established for Clark. She sat him in a chair and brought him a cup of hot tea.

Lex didn't drink much of it, perhaps a sip or two, but the warmth of it in his hands was good, even a little distracting. He didn't know how much time had passed when one of his household staff came to speak with him. All he knew was that he hadn't heard anything yet from Dr. Carson, and that was very concerning.

"Mr. Luthor, there are some people at the front door insisting upon seeing you."

Lex looked up at Davis, the man who was responsible for running the entire house, and frowned.

"I'm not seeing anyone right now. Send them away."

"Normally, I wouldn't even bother you with this, Mr. Luthor, but it's Mr. and Mrs. Kent, and they are being quite persistent."

"The Kents? They're here?" Lex asked. Without another word, he got up and strode quickly down the hall to the front door. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Clark's parents, but he knew he had to speak with them. When he reached the front hall, he found not only the Kents, but Chloe Sullivan as well waiting for him. Martha looked wary, but hopeful; Jonathan looked angry, as he always did when dealing with Lex or his father; and Chloe simply looked suspicious.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent-" Lex started before he was interrupted by Jonathan.

"Cut the bullshit, Lex! We know Clark is here. You've had him here all along and we want to see him now!"

Lex hid his surprise, as he was accustomed to hiding his true emotions around Jonathan Kent, and stared at him with a bland expression. "What makes you think Clark is here?"

Chloe spoke up, still giving Lex an accusing stare, and said, "I found out from one of my sources in the Smallville P.D. that your security team brought in Davey Wilkins a couple of hours ago. It's not that great a leap to realize that if you had Wilkins, you have Clark as well."

Lex pondered for a moment what he should do. He would love nothing more than to have his men toss Jonathan Kent out on his ear, but he knew that Clark wouldn't like that. And looking at Clark's mother, there was no way that he could keep from her the fact that her son had finally been found.

"Clark is indeed here," he said calmly.

"I knew it, you bastard! Where do you have my son!" Jonathan shouted and moved towards Lex menacingly.

The two members of his security team that Lex had had the foresight to bring with him stepped forward and flanked Lex, glaring dangerously at Mr. Kent. Jonathan faltered, and stopped, but still gave Lex the evil eye and clenched his fists as if he'd love to punch Lex out.

"Where is he, Lex? What's going on?" Martha asked. Lex could hear the pain in her voice, and hoped that she at least would give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Clark is in surgery at the moment-"

"What! How dare you?" Jonathan said.

"He's in surgery, Mr. Kent, because he has internal injuries from the beating that he took from Tommy Lee. He was kicked so severely that they thought they killed him. They then hid his body and used Wilkins' teleportation power to go back to your farm. You know what happened there. While you've been looking for Clark the last few weeks, I've been looking for Wilkins. We finally found him yesterday, and he confessed to what happened and told us where he'd hidden Clark."

"Oh, my God," Martha whispered, her hand going to her throat in distress. Jonathan reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, while Chloe clutched her arm on the other side and stared at Lex with wide eyes.

"Is he going to be all right?" Chloe asked fearfully.

"We don't know yet, but I brought in one of Metropolis General's top surgeons. He's the one taking care of Clark right now. They've been in surgery for almost two hours at this point," Lex said, glancing quickly at his watch.

"Well, when he's out of surgery," Jonathan growled, "we are taking our son out of this house and we'll take care of him ourselves."

Lex slid a sideways glance at one of his security guards and said, "You're dismissed."

"Sir, I really don't think-" the man started to protest, with a quick look at Jonathan Kent.

"I don't care what you think, I said you're dismissed," Lex said harshly.

Reluctantly, the two men retreated. Lex looked back at the Kents and said, "We'll talk further in my study." He turned and started in that direction, not looking back to see if they were following him or not.

When he got to the study, Lex paused a moment as he stepped in the doors. He still expected to be able to feel Clark's presence and it was like missing one of his own limbs that he couldn't. Mentally shaking off the feeling of loss, Lex moved into the room, determined not to show any weakness in front of Clark's father.

He sat on Clark's couch and motioned to the Kents and Chloe to have a seat in the other chairs across from him. Chloe and Martha sat, but Jonathan remained standing, his arms crossed in front of him as he continued to glare at Lex.

"We can speak freely in here. This room is constantly checked for any recording devices and is completely soundproofed," he said. He ignored the snort that came from Jonathan.

"Then tell us, Lex. What did the doctor say Clark's chance are?" Martha asked.

"He didn't give me any percentages, but he seemed optimistic. Mrs. Kent, I think it would be the best thing for everyone involved if Clark stayed here while he's recovering."

"Not happening, Luthor," Jonathan said derisively.

Lex ignored him and continued to plead his case with Martha. "He's going to require specialized care that I can provide, which you can't at the farm. And I know that you don't want Clark going to a hospital," he said, giving her an intent look.

All three of his guests gasped at that and looked at him with horror. Lex would have been insulted, but at this point, all he was concerned about was Clark.

"What do you mean by that?" Jonathan asked.

"I know what Clark is, Mr. Kent. And as I said, none of us want him in a regular hospital, do we?"

"What exactly do you think you know?" Jonathan said, and Lex wanted to sigh in frustration. Clark's father was so stubborn.

"I know that usually Clark's fast, he's strong, he's invulnerable, and he can set things on fire with his eyes. I know he's an alien, Mr. Kent," Lex said bluntly, enjoying the look of shock on all their faces, even when he knew he shouldn't.

"He's not…you're wrong…Clark's just a normal guy!" Jonathan said, more flustered than Lex had ever seen him.

"Well, that's why I said usually. I also know that his biological father, Jor-El, took all his powers away as a punishment."

Jonathan's mouth was gaping open by this time. "How?" was all he could manage to say.

"I've been speaking with Clark since he disappeared," Lex said, and now he was uncomfortable with the conversation. Even he had to admit, his story was going to sound strange.

"Then why did you wait until now to get him out of that water tower?" Chloe said angrily.

"I didn't talk with Clark himself. I was talking to, well, I guess you would call it his spirit."

"His what?" Martha said, confusion evident in her eyes.

Lex shifted in his chair, wishing he was with Clark right now instead of undergoing this interrogation. "Clark has been something like a ghost for the last couple of weeks, and I was apparently the only one he could communicate with."

"I don't believe you," Jonathan said.

"How else would I know what I know about him?"

"Because you've been investigating him from the moment you met!" Jonathan said.

"That doesn't explain why I would know that he still feels guilty for the first time he was on red Kryptonite and everything he put you through then. He told me about the first time you took him out on the tractor when he was eight years old, Mr. Kent, and how excited he was to be able to help you with the farm. He told me about the day when he was only six and he brought you flowers, Mrs. Kent, and how it wasn't until years later that he realized he'd accidentally picked your prize-winning roses, but how amazed he was that you didn't get mad at him. He told me about you kissing him in the barn when you were in the eighth grade, Chloe, and how it was his first time kissing a girl."

Lex had to take a moment to breathe before he could continue. "Clark and I have had our differences recently, it's true. But I've apologized and he's apologized, and all I want right now is to help him. Please, let me help him," he said, his gaze taking in both of Clark's parents.

Martha was staring at him in astonishment, and Jonathan's expression wasn't quite as closed as it had been a moment ago, so Lex couldn't help but hope. Even Chloe's accusing stare had gone down by a few notches.

"Is he…is he here with us now?" Martha asked, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes darted cautiously around the room.

"No. Something unexpected happened when my team brought his body back here. I went to see him, and Clark was following behind me. When he saw…himself, his spirit and his body somehow joined back together, and I couldn't sense him anymore."

"How much longer is the surgery supposed to last?" Jonathan asked gruffly.

"I don't know, but of course, you're more than welcome to stay, so that you can be here when he comes out of it. You as well, Chloe. If you want to stay here while he's recuperating, that's acceptable as well. I have plenty of guest rooms."

"I don't think-" Jonathan began, and he was shaking his head.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Lex. We accept," Martha said, shooting a sharp glance at her husband when he started to protest. "I'm not leaving here until I know that my child is going to be all right, Jonathan."

"Fine," he agreed, though still reluctantly. "We'll need to get some things from the farm, though…"

"I can send staff to get whatever you need, if you'd prefer to make sure you're here whenever we hear anything," Lex offered, partly because he wanted to be helpful, and partly because he knew it would irritate Mr. Kent.

"That would be very helpful, thank you, Lex," Martha said. Jonathan just grunted in reply.

Lex nodded his acceptance of her gratitude and then looked at Chloe. "Ms. Sullivan?"

"I'm staying, too."

"Of course." Lex walked over to his desk and used the intercom to give directions to his staff. He also ordered them to bring some drinks and a light snack from the kitchen to help with the waiting time.

He took care to hide the massive sense of relief he felt from the Kents and Chloe. Clark's parents had accepted that Lex and Clark had mended their friendship, albeit unwillingly. But he had no idea how they'd react to the idea that he was in love with their son, and desperately wanted to fuck him six ways from Sunday. Yeah, better to leave that conversation until Clark was beside him to possibly shield him from the shotgun blasts.

Of course, right now Clark was just as vulnerable to shotguns as Lex was, he realized with a frown. Well, Clark's powers weren't the reason that Lex was in love with Clark, and if he never regained them, Lex wouldn't care. Right now, he just wanted Clark _here_, walking, talking, and well.

The four of them waited another two hours in the study. Martha and Chloe sat quietly talking while Jonathan just paced back and forth, his face set in grim lines the entire time. Lex attempted to do some work, but he was too distracted to truly get anything done.

"Mr. Luthor?" a voice said from the doorway, and he looked up to see Dr. Carson standing there.

Lex sprang from his chair and was around his desk in about half a second. Martha, Jonathan, and Chloe were right beside him in an instant.

"How is Clark? Is he awake?" Lex asked.

Dr. Carson glanced at the other people in the room before he answered. Quickly, because he was impatient to find out Clark's prognosis, Lex said, "This is Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark's parents, and Chloe Sullivan, a family friend. This is Dr. Kevin Carson of Metropolis General, who performed Clark's surgery."

"How is our son, Dr. Carson?" Jonathan asked.

Lex's jaw clenched at the possessive tone in Mr. Kent's voice. He swore the man did it on purpose just to make sure Lex knew he was an outsider. Well, he wasn't outside the Kent circle anymore, and when Clark was well again, Lex would make sure Jonathan knew that once and for all.

"The surgery went as well as could be expected. We did find some internal bleeding, but we were able to get it all stopped," Dr. Carson said, and then he hesitated. "Mr. Luthor, he didn't react well when we tried to give him a blood transfusion."

Lex felt Jonathan and Martha stiffen, but he waited to hear what else the doctor was going to say.

"We nearly lost him before we were able to get his system clear of the donor blood. I'm not sure why he reacted because we used O-negative blood, not knowing his blood type, but we managed to get him stable. His internal organs are…a little different than one might expect," Carson said carefully, his wary gaze on Lex.

"As long as you've repaired all the damage, that's not really your concern," Lex said, and made sure that his expression made it clear that curiosity really could kill the cat in this circumstance.

Dr. Carson got the message and nodded. "He hasn't awakened from the anesthesia yet, and I'm afraid that we really won't know anything about possible brain damage until he does."

"Can we see him?" Martha asked tremulously.

The doctor agreed that they could see Clark, and then stepped to the side, ceding control of the situation to Lex. It was gratifying to know that his money had been well spent.

When they reached Clark's room, Lex graciously allowed his parents to go in first, mostly because of Martha. He'd always had a soft spot for Clark's mother, perhaps due to the fact that she reminded Lex a little of his own mother.

Martha gasped and rushed to Clark's bedside. He'd been cleaned up, but Clark still looked awful. His skin was pale, except where the bruises from Lee's boots showed vividly. He seemed smaller somehow, lying so still on the narrow bed. Lex hung back as Martha and Jonathan took up positions on either side of the bed. Chloe hovered near Martha's elbow and reached out to cover Clark's hand with her own. Martha was bending near Clark's head and whispering in his ear, her hand caressing his cheek. Lex couldn't hear all of what she was saying, but he thought she was letting him know that they were there.

Lex felt out-of-place, and a part of him wanted to turn and walk away, leave the Kents to their vigil. Martha looked up just then, and must have read the emotion on his face, which was very unbecoming of a Luthor. She left Clark and walked over to Lex, surprising him with a fierce hug. Lex glanced up at Jonathan as he instinctively wrapped his arms around Martha, and was surprised again to see a look of reluctant acceptance on his face.

Martha pulled back and looked at Lex, grasping his arms tightly. "Thank you for bringing him back to us," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Lex said faintly.

Martha gave him a small smile and returned to Clark's bedside.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

A sort of uneasy truce settled between Lex and Jonathan. Clark's father still made it plain that he didn't care for Lex, but he eased up on the disparaging remarks, and he did give Lex grudging thanks for the care that Clark had received. Over the next couple of days, they each took turns keeping a vigil at Clark's bedside. To everyone's dismay, Clark showed no signs of waking.

Dr. Carson had explained to all of them that Clark was in a comatose state and there was no way of predicting when he would awaken. He encouraged all of them to speak to Clark and to stay positive when doing so, thus the system of making sure that someone was always with Clark.

Lex had grown so accustomed to feeling Clark's presence with him, that to be without it was almost physically painful. He spent his time with Clark whispering to him of all the amazing things they would be able to do with each other once he woke up. Lex had to cut his verbal fantasies short a few times when one of the others would walk unexpectedly into the room. Then he would have to excuse himself to his room to take care of inconvenient erections. Wouldn't that be lovely to try and explain to Clark's parents?

By the fourth day, their hopes were beginning to flag. It seemed so unfair that they'd gone through all the trials and trauma that they had, only to end up like this. Lex was sitting beside the bed, one hand gently stroking Clark's arm, and not saying anything. He didn't feel like talking just then, and was instead just staring at the face of the man he loved. Clark's bruises didn't seem to be healing, and in fact, he looked no better now than he had when they'd brought him into the castle.

He longed for the moment when Clark would open his eyes and their lives together could truly begin. Lex had to believe that Clark was going to recover, and he just had a sense that when his lover finally did regain consciousness, it would happen while Lex was at his side.

He had been anticipating it for days, which is why it was so ironic that when it finally did happen, Lex wasn't looking at Clark and he wasn't prepared for it. He had turned his gaze to the windows on the other side of the room, pondering silently whether they should open them so Clark could get some sun. They'd been kept closed as Lex was worried about enemies of either his father or himself that might be curious enough to come snooping around the mansion.

"Lex?" His name was called so faintly, that Lex wondered for a millisecond if he'd imagined it.

When realization hit, Lex jerked his head around to see Clark looking back at him, his eyes glazed with pain and confusion. He leapt to his feet and took Clark's face in his hands.

"Clark! You're awake! Oh, God, I've missed you so much, I can't believe you're finally awake," he said. He realized he was babbling, but couldn't seem to stop himself. "I'll get the doctor here in just a minute and we'll get everything taken care of. You're going to be fine, just fine." He reluctantly pulled one hand away from touching Clark and grabbed the nurse call button at the top of Clark's bed, pushing it several times rapidly. As soon as he'd done that, his hand was right back to caressing Clark's face.

"Lex, what happened?" Clark asked weakly.

"Far too much to explain right now. I promise I'll tell you later, but right now, we're going to worry about getting you well." Lex smiled as he looked at Clark. "I really have missed you," he said softly.

Clark tried to smile back at him, but it was obviously not easy for him as he seemed to still be in pain. "Missed you, too."

He could hear feet pounding up the hallway towards their room, and Lex felt like he'd never been so happy in his entire life as he was at that moment. He continued to try and reassure Clark that everything would be okay. His mind was already starting to whirl with plans and dreams, places they would go and things they would see together.

Then everything fell apart.

Clark's body suddenly slumped back down onto the bed, his eyes sliding closed again as every alarm hooked up to him began going off. Lex looked up at the monitors in shock as all the numbers, heart rate, blood pressure, everything, dropped to zero in an instant.

Before he could even say anything, Dr. Carson and his team were there, gently but firmly pushing him back out of the way. Carson was once again shouting orders, and two of his team members started doing CPR, one pushing on Clark's still chest as the other held a bag over his mouth and nose, squeezing it every few seconds.

As he'd stumbled backwards, Lex fell to the floor, and then Jonathan, Martha and Chloe were there beside him, staring in horror just as he was. Martha dropped to her knees beside him and grabbed his hand. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Lex felt as though every breath he took was taking one away from Clark, so he held his breath, willing Clark with everything he had in him to _not die_!

It wasn't working. The nurses were pushing a cart forward, and Carson was shouting 'clear!' and they were shocking Clark, trying to make his heart start to beat again. Lex lost count of how many times they tried, a dozen? Maybe two dozen? He eventually had to breathe because he felt himself about to pass out, and just when he took a deep breath, Carson stepped back and gazed down at Clark sadly.

Then he looked up at Lex and the Kents and Chloe and said, "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could, but he's gone."

Martha let out a wail of anguish and Lex could hear Chloe sobbing.

"No," Lex said, shaking his head. "No, that's not the way it's supposed to happen. You keep trying. You make him better." Carson was looking at him with pity in his eyes. "Now! You make him better right now!" Lex yelled as he struggled to his feet. He felt Jonathan's hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back, but he shrugged it off.

"Mr. Luthor, there's nothing more we can do. His injuries were just too severe."

"You're a liar!" Lex screamed. Carson took a step back as Lex lunged forward, but Lex didn't care about him anymore. He fell halfway onto Clark's body, hitting his chest with his fists. "This isn't the way it was supposed to end, Clark! You can't leave me!"

"Lex…" Jonathan said from behind him, and again he felt hands trying to pull him away from Clark.

"NO!" Lex screamed, and jerked his arm violently out of Jonathan's grasp, but Clark's father wouldn't leave him alone and put his hands on Lex's shoulders. He buried his face in Clark's neck, tears beginning to stream from his eyes as it began to sink in, everything he had lost. "I love you, Clark. Please, don't leave me here alone. I can't live without you," he said in a whisper.

He felt Jonathan stiffen in shock behind him, but at this point, Lex was beyond caring whether or not the Kents learned how he felt about Clark. He could feel the stillness of Clark's body against his cheek. There was no movement, no breath, no comforting beat of Clark's heart under his hand. Lex's strength simply left him and he no longer resisted when Jonathan pulled him away.

The room was spinning and Lex wondered idly if he was going to pass out. Jonathan must have had the same thought, because he pulled Lex's arm over his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around Lex's back.

"Chloe, can you help Martha up? I think we need to get out of this room for now," he said, and Lex could hear that familiar gruffness in his voice. But this time it was because he was crying, too, because his son was dead.

"Clark," Lex said, his voice little more than a whimper, and he wondered if he was imagining Jonathan's arm tightening around him.

The four of them somehow made it to Lex's room down the hall. Chloe sat down with Martha on a small couch, holding her and trying to comfort Clark's mother and herself, while Martha just kept sobbing. Lex looked at Jonathan standing looking lost in the middle of the room. He seemed to be numb, a look of shocked disbelief on his face.

Lex wished that he could feel numb. Right now, it felt like his heart was literally breaking in two.

"It's all my fault," Lex said

Jonathan's head whipped around to look at him. "What?" he asked.

"I wanted the happy ending, and I should have known that Luthors don't get to have happy endings."

"You…wanted a happy ending with _Clark_?" Chloe asked.

"He was everything," Lex said, and part of him realized that he should really shut up now, but he just couldn't seem to do so. "I…I don't know what I'm going to do now."

Before anyone could say anything else, there was the tremendous sound of shattering glass. Everyone froze for a moment, and then they all started for the door.

"What the hell was that?" Jonathan was asking as they stumbled out into the hallway.

Dr. Carson came running towards them, his face white with shock. "Mr. Luthor, you're not going to believe this," he gasped.

"What happened?" Lex demanded.

"Mr. Kent is gone. I mean, his body's gone! It just vanished!"

Everyone ran to Clark's room, and sure enough, his bed was empty, the sheets tossed aside and some of the machines pushed over onto the floor. The window had been broken from the outside, as there was glass scattered all over the carpet. It wasn't just the glass that was broken, instead, it looked like something had exploded into the room, as the framing and a few of the stones were also splintered.

Lex walked over to what was left of the wall and stared upwards into the sky. Then his gaze fell to the broken window. Curiously, he reached up to one of the broken stones and ran his hand over the rough edge. For some reason, a tiny flicker of hope flared within his heart. He couldn't explain it, he just knew that it suddenly existed.

"You'd better come back to me soon, Clark," he whispered softly into the wind.

* * *

><p>When Clark opened his eyes, all he could see was white, and for the second time in his life, he feared that he was dead. Hesitantly, he sat up, and once he took a better look around, he realized that he wasn't in heaven. He was at the Fortress in the Arctic. How on earth had he gotten here?<p>

"Welcome, my son," a voice called, seeming to fill the air all around him.

Clark looked around and jumped to his feet in surprise when he saw a figure standing on the other side of the room, if the crystals could really be called a room.

"Who are you? And how did we get here?"

"I am Jor-El, your father. I have missed you, Kal-El," the man said.

Clark was very confused. He'd heard from Jor-El numerous times over the last three or four years, but it had always been through a cave wall or inside a crystal, never an actual person. The man stepped down off the tiny pedestal he'd been on and moved towards Clark.

As he came closer, Clark recognized him. "Lionel Luthor!"

"This is his body, yes. When he tried to claim the stones of knowledge, this body became a vessel for me, in order that I could speak with you more freely."

"Is he…dead?" Clark asked fearfully. He wasn't sure what he would think about his father having killed Lex's father.

"No. He lives still, but I'm afraid that the stones permanently damaged his mind, and once I leave him, he will revert to that vegetative state."

"Why are you, er, him?"

"Your mortal body was sorely wounded, Kal-El. Using this vessel was the only way I could reach you."

"So, you healed me? I didn't know that you could do that."

"I've returned your life force to you because your mission here on Earth is not yet complete. Your powers will be returned to you, and you will complete your training this time," Jor-El said sternly, and it sounded extremely creepy in Lionel Luthor's voice.

"Okay, I guess. Um, thank you?" Clark wasn't sure how he should feel about this. He was grateful to still be alive, but he was familiar with the way his biological father usually worked. He didn't think that Jor-El had saved him out of the kindness of his heart, much less any love for his son.

"Should you choose not to commence the training, there will be a greater price to pay than the loss of your powers. The life force I have returned to you will be taken from someone you love."

"What! No, you can't do that!"

"I dislike using such harsh methods with you, Kal-El, but you have left me no choice. The training must be completed if you are to succeed in your mission."

"I don't want to 'rule them with strength'! That's your goal, it was never mine!"

By this time, Jor-El in Lionel's body was standing right in front of him. Clark was horrified by the fevered gleam in Lionel's eyes. He almost preferred talking to Jor-El when he was a cave wall. Actually, he would prefer not to talk to his father at all. But it appeared that he was being blackmailed.

"You misunderstand my desires for your future, my son. I want you to fulfill your destiny as mankind's protector. In order to do that, you must understand your gifts, and your own history."

Clark couldn't help his mouth dropping open in disbelief. "You must be kidding me. What about that message in the ship? It specifically said 'rule them'. It didn't mention anything about protection."

"Unfortunately, your ship was…infected with a virus as it entered Earth's atmosphere. Thankfully, you did not remain in the ship long enough for this to affect you. The source of that virus is one of the many matters in which I must instruct you."

Clark sat down abruptly on one of the crystal ledges. "This is all too confusing," he murmured.

Jor-El/Lionel placed one hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I understand that this may be overwhelming for you, but you are meant for great things, Kal-El. You do wish to return to Alexander Luthor, do you not?"

Clark stared at his father in utter shock. "How do you know about _that_?" he asked. "Wait, you're okay with it?" he added a second later, thinking of Jonathan's probable reaction to his relationship with Lex, and having a hard time believing that Jor-El's would be the better one.

"Alexander is your soul mate, Kal-El. You chose him on the day you arrived on Earth. He will help you remain focused on your purpose, while keeping you from losing yourself to it."

"I chose Lex?" Clark asked, his mind reeling. "Is that why I've always felt drawn to him?"

"Yes, and that is why it is even more important that you complete your training, for you will need to know how to take care of him when it comes time for him to bear your children."

"What?" Clark shrieked. "How is…that's not…I don't…Lex is a _man_!"

"His gender makes no difference, Kal-El. Do you think that your mother and I would have sent you to Earth and cursed you to remain childless should it turn out that you prefer your own sex? We wanted you to not just survive on Earth, but prosper! Part of that is continuing the El family line."

Clark's mind was spinning with disbelief at the things that Jor-El was telling him. Had he really been wrong all this time in thinking that Jor-El wanted him to conquer and rule? It all seemed a little too convenient. He didn't know what to think about Lex supposedly being able to get pregnant. And what would _Lex_ think of that? Somehow, he couldn't picture Lex Luthor meekly going along with Jor-El's plans for extending the El line. Clark supposed he shouldn't be surprised by the blackmail and the threats, but it still rubbed him the wrong way.

"So, let me make sure I've got this straight. You're saying that if I don't stay here and complete the training, you're going to kill someone I love? How can you do that if you only want what's best for me, as you say?"

"I dislike having to use such methods, Kal-El, but you have forced my hand. You will stay for the training, or my gift of your life force must be paid for."

Clark hated it, but he couldn't see where he had any choice. He certainly didn't want anyone to die for him. "Can I at least go home for a little while and say good-bye to everyone?"

"No. I allowed you to leave before, giving you specific instructions on when to return, and you disobeyed me. I'm afraid that I can't be that lenient this time."

"There was no way I was going to let Lana be killed by those other Kryptonians! I was going to return, but you didn't give me enough time," Clark said.

"These are the terms, my son. Stay and complete the training, or leave and face the consequences," Jor-El said, obviously unwilling to budge.

"Fine. I'll stay, but I'm going to give some terms of my own. You have me for six months and that's it. I'll learn whatever I can in that time, and then I'm going home. If I need more training, I can come back later, but you're not going to kill any of my family," Clark said angrily.

"This is acceptable."

Jor-El/Lionel smiled and Clark couldn't repress a shiver of disgust. His father's voice coming out of Lex's father's body was just revolting. Then he found himself being hugged and closed his eyes in dismay. They shot back open as he felt a surge of power race through his body, and he knew that he had his abilities back.

"Let us begin."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

This is the last chapter of this story! Thank you kindly for the lovely reviews!

**Part Eleven**

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

Martha Kent rinsed the last dish from dinner and placed it on the drying rack. With a sigh, she turned to the table and gave it a quick wipe-down, brushing the few crumbs from the cornbread rolls into her hand. As she dumped them in the garbage, her mind couldn't help remembering how much Clark had loved her cornbread rolls.

It was so difficult some days, how simple things could remind her of her son and how much she missed him. She took a deep breath, holding back the tears by sheer force of will alone. Martha had decided she was done with crying. She'd known from the moment she'd laid eyes on him how special her boy was, and she trusted him to find his way back home. She wouldn't mind if he did it sooner rather than later, but she'd vowed not to cry anymore until she could cry on Clark's shoulder.

A knock at the kitchen door had her heart jumping, as it always did, with the hope that her baby was home at last. However, when she looked through the window, she saw Chloe and Lois. She was surprised, because they weren't expecting the girls over tonight. It had been hard keeping the secret from Lois, because she couldn't understand why they weren't actively looking for Clark anymore. Martha suspected she was still conducting searches in her free time from MetU.

She opened the door and let them in, smiling as the three of them hugged in greeting.

"Not that it's not lovely to see the two of you, but what brings you here tonight?" Martha asked.

Chloe and Lois gave each other a look, and then looked at her with identical frowns on their faces. "We got your note, Mrs. K," Lois said.

"What note?"

Chloe handed her a piece of paper with the words 'Please meet me at the farmhouse at seven tonight' typed on it. It was unsigned. Martha looked back up at the girls after she'd read it.

"I didn't send this. Jonathan!" she called towards the living room.

"Yes, dear?" he said with a grin as he came into the kitchen.

"Did you send this note to Chloe and Lois?" she asked as she showed it to him.

"Nope, can't say as I did," he said with a frown.

"I sent it," a voice said from behind them. Everyone whirled around in shock to stare at Clark, standing beside the kitchen stairs. For a moment, everyone was frozen, and then Clark grinned at them. The next few minutes were filled with shrieks, tears, shouts, a few punches to the shoulder courtesy of Lois, and lots of hugs.

Once everyone had calmed down, Clark asked that they sit down so he could tell them what had happened. His parents shot nervous looks in Lois' direction, but Clark shook his head.

"I know that Lois was just as devoted to looking for me as the rest of you were, so she deserves to know the truth about me."

"Clark, I'm not sure-" Jonathan began.

"Dad. It's my decision now," Clark said quietly, but firmly. Jonathan sat back and closed his mouth, but he still didn't look very happy about it.

Lois took the news of his origins with nothing more than a wide-eyed stare at Clark, then she smirked. "I always knew there was something weird about you, Smallville. I just never thought it was that you were a little green man from Mars."

"Funny, Lois," Clark said dryly.

Then he told them what had happened since he'd been taken out of the house by Lee and Wilkins. Martha was appalled at Jor-El's methods of ensuring that Clark bent to his will, and she hated that she had been apart from her son for so long, but she recognized that Clark had to do what he did. She knew her child. If someone had lost their life so that he could live, he never would have gotten over the guilt.

Martha got the feeling that Clark was leaving out a few things, especially in regards to his communication with Lex while he was a spirit. Which brought up another question. "Clark, why aren't Lex and Lana here? Have you spoken with them already?" While she knew her son was no longer a child, it still hurt that he might not have come home to mom and dad first.

Clark blushed and ducked his head. "Well, I knew the conversations with them were going to be long and difficult, so I kind of put them off and came to you guys first."

"Why are they going to be difficult?" Chloe asked curiously.

"I'm going to have to break up with Lana right after I let her know I'm still alive, and Lex… Well, Lex and I have a _lot_ to talk about," Clark said, his blush deepening.

Martha noticed the way that Jonathan frowned at the tone of Clark's voice when he said Lex's name, and Clark saw it, too.

"Dad, I know it's not the choice you would have made for me, but I'm in love with Lex, and he loves me, too. We're going to be together whether you like it or not, but I'd really appreciate your support."

"Holy shit, Smallville!" Lois burst out. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Kent," she added quickly. "I didn't see that one coming either! You're just full of surprises tonight, Clarkie."

Clark talked with them for a little while longer, his eyes occasionally flicking to the clock on the wall. Martha never wanted to let him out of her sight again, but he was a grown man, and he had adult responsibilities. It was time to loosen the apron strings a little. Martha didn't think she'd ever be able to cut them completely, but Clark had to make his own decisions now, live his own life.

"Clark, I know you want to go see Lex, and you still have to talk to Lana first. You be gentle with her, do you hear me? We'll be here waiting for you when you come back."

"Now, Martha, there's no need for him to rush off so soon," Jonathan protested.

"You hush, Jonathan Kent! You'd better get used to the idea of Clark with Lex, because there's no way I'm not seeing my son because of your prejudices," Martha said sharply.

"Okay, okay!" Jonathan said, raising his hands as if to ward off his wife's possible attack. "I'll work on it, son, I promise."

"That's all I can ask, Dad," Clark said with a smile.

Hugs were given all around and if Martha was the one who had a hard time letting him go, even after she'd given him permission, Clark was kind enough not to comment on it. She sniffled and wiped away a tear as she watched him disappear from the front yard. When had he learned to fly! Jonathan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in to his side, feeling complete once again at last.

* * *

><p>Lex closed his laptop with click, and glanced up at the clock in his study. Nearly midnight, he noted with some surprise, his work having apparently taken longer than he thought it would. Still, even though he knew he should probably retire for the evening, Lex couldn't bring himself to do so. He got up from his desk and walked over to the bookshelf, perusing the titles. Perhaps if he read for a while, he could ease this sense of restlessness he felt.<p>

It had been six months since Clark had disappeared from his life. Lex missed sensing his presence so fiercely, it was like missing one of his own limbs. Incredibly, his father had disappeared from Belle Reve at almost exactly the same time. Lex was not a great believer in coincidences, but even he couldn't see how those two events could possibly not be connected.

He had been impressed with Martha Kent's quiet faith in her son. Many times, Lex had found himself flagging, certain that Clark was gone forever, but a few words from her could make him hope again.

He spoke with the Kents nearly every day, though at first, Jonathan had been very standoffish. It had taken him a couple of months to thaw towards Lex, and even now he was sure that Jonathan wished his son had chosen someone else to fall in love with. At least he was willing to accept – mostly – that Clark and Lex would want to be together when Clark returned.

_If Clark returned, _Lex thought morosely, then sighed. He was suffering another moment of doubt, apparently, because at this moment, it felt like he was never going to see Clark again. Midnight was far too late to call Martha Kent to get a dose of her optimism.

Finding nothing in his library that piqued his interest, Lex turned to his alcohol to help him sleep. He walked towards his bar, intending to induce slumber with a good scotch. Halfway there, he glanced out the window and froze. Clark was outside his window! His _second-story_ window.

Lex gasped, feeling like his breath was being stolen away.

Clark grinned.

Lex staggered, his startled gasp turning into a wheeze.

Clark's grin faded and he literally flew right through the window, smashing the glass to pieces, and took Lex into his arms. One arm held Lex securely against his warm, _living_ body, while one large hand cradled Lex's head, his thumb stroking Lex's cheek.

"Lex, breathe," Clark said urgently. "_Breathe_, Lex. You're not imagining this. I'm real, I'm here." He continued to murmur assurances, and finally Lex was able to take a breath without his chest feeling like it was crushing him.

When Lex became aware of his surroundings again, he found himself clutching Clark's shoulders as if he was holding on for dear life. Clark smiled at him, and Lex felt dizzy for a reason that had nothing to do with his first asthma attack in a dozen years. All the things he'd planned that he would say to Clark when he saw him again, flew right out of his head.

"Clark," in a near reverent tone was all he could manage.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long," Clark whispered. "But I swear I never intended to frighten you that much."

Lex's pride perked up. "I wasn't frightened. You simply startled me, that's all." He looked over at the glass on the floor. "I'm surprised you didn't set off my alarm system."

Clark blushed and ducked his head. "I kind of turned it off before I decided to float outside your window."

Lex's brow raised in amusement. "Awfully presumptuous of you," he teased.

"No, this is presumptuous of me," Clark said, and then he kissed Lex.

Lex felt as though he were the one flying. Clark's lips on his, his tongue touching Clark's so intimately, was the culmination of every dream he'd ever had since Clark had kissed him back to life under Loeb Bridge.

A long time later, or at least it seemed to Lex, Clark gently pulled away and rested his forehead against Lex's.

"I love you," he said softly.

Lex's smile was so wide, he was certain his cheeks would be sore tomorrow. "I love you, too. But I'm still a little mad that you made me wait so long. Where have you been?"

"Can we go somewhere more comfortable? I'll tell you all about it, I promise."

"You know where my bedroom…is?" In the space between one word and the next, the world had blurred and they were falling onto Lex's bed. "Wow," he breathed in amazement.

"And that's just a tiny fraction of the things I have to show you, Lex," Clark said, grinning the entire time.

Lex wasn't sure how much time passed as they lay on his bed, arms wrapped around one another. It could have been days and he wouldn't have noticed, so captivated was he by Clark's tale.

Clark told him about learning to fly, and about the many wonders of this world that Jor-El had sent him out to experience. He told him about the beauty that was his home world of Krypton. Lex was stunned to learn that there were numerous galaxies far beyond this one, or even the one where Clark had been born. As a science geek for most of his life, he wanted to see and experience all of it.

"Someday, we'll figure out a way to see it, I promise. In the meantime, there's so much for us to do here on Earth. You're not going to believe the outfit Jor-El wants me to wear," Clark said, seeming embarrassed.

"Is it a costume? Like a superhero?" Lex asked.

Clark laughed at Lex's excitement and said, "Yes, exactly like a superhero."

"My very own Warrior Angel," Lex said happily.

"Yeah, I'm absolutely not using that name," Clark said.

"Well, you couldn't, Clark. That would be against copyright laws. Don't worry, I'll think of an appropriate superhero name for you."

"Why do you get to pick my name?" Clark asked with a pout.

"Because I know far more about superheroes than you do."

"That may be so, but there is one thing that I do know."

"And what's that?" Lex asked

"We've talked long enough and it's time for other, more important things right now," Clark said, his voice dropping to a seductive purr.

Lex was instantly turned on and shifted closer to Clark, one hand reaching around to caress Clark's back before it slid down to glide over the curve of his ass. "I completely agree," he said.

They both leaned forward at the same moment and their mouths met in a hot kiss. Lex was in a sheer state of bliss at being able to touch Clark as he'd wanted to for so long. While it had been amazing to be able to be the only one to sense and speak with Clark when everyone thought him gone forever, it was nothing compared to actually being able to put his hands on Clark.

And the way that Clark was responding to him! Lex had always imagined that Clark would be shy, perhaps a little hesitant about intimacy with another man. This Clark had no hesitation whatsoever. In fact, he gave a growl and rolled forward, pushing Lex onto his back. Before Lex could breathe a word of protest, not that he really intended to, Clark was grinding his hips down onto Lex, their hard cocks rubbing against each other deliciously.

Clark must have decided at that point that there were too many clothes between them because he abruptly grabbed the shoulders of Lex's shirt and ripped it in half, throwing the tattered pieces aside. Lex gasped, and then moaned as Clark's head zeroed in on his chest, laving one nipple with his tongue.

Still, Lex felt like he had to regain a little control here. "Damn, Clark, that was one of my favorite shirts," he said, even as he threw his head back onto the pillow, and grabbed Clark's head with both hands.

"Was in my way," Clark muttered before turning his attention to Lex's other nipple.

Lex was finding it difficult to remember what he'd been complaining about just a moment ago, as Clark was absolutely making him lose his mind. But this was going to be a relationship of equals, and he wasn't going to let Clark bowl him over with his superior strength. Somehow, he found the presence of mind to grab Clark by the hair and force his head up. Clark must have been just as distracted or Lex knew he wouldn't have been able to move him an inch.

"Clark!" he said forcefully.

"Huh?" Clark said, his eyes glazed over with lust.

"Don't tear my clothes, please. If you want me naked, and I hope you do because I definitely want _you_ naked, then just ask and I'll do a strip tease for you if you want. But I'm not a fan of tearing clothes off each other."

"I'm sorry," Clark said, a devastated look on his face. "Oh, my God, did I hurt you when I did that?"

"No, it's all right. Just, no clothes tearing, okay?"

"Okay," Clark said in a small voice.

"Now, I believe you were busy a moment ago?" Lex said, and nudged Clark's head back towards his chest. "Or if you wanted to do that a little further south, I'm not going to complain."

Clark grinned and lowered his head once more. Things heated up again very quickly, and soon all clothes were off, by permission this time. Clark did indeed move south and nearly swallowed Lex's cock. Aliens didn't have any gag reflex to speak of, it seemed.

Lex looked down at Clark's head between his legs and wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. And if he was dreaming, he didn't ever want to wake up. God, it felt as though his cock were halfway down Clark's throat! For all Lex knew, maybe it was. Then, just when he thought it couldn't get any more amazing, Clark started humming.

Lex yelled and thrust hard up into Clark's mouth, and before he could even think about trying to hold off, he was coming down Clark's throat. He might have felt bad about not giving any warning, but Clark only started humming louder and milked Lex until there wasn't a drop of come left in him.

Lex collapsed back onto the bed as Clark raised his head and grinned triumphantly at him. He chuckled as he saw the pleased look on Clark's face.

"Fuck, that was incredible," he said weakly, still spent from how hard he'd come.

Clark moved up to kiss Lex, and astonishingly, Lex could barely taste himself as he would have expected. He really must have been halfway down Clark's throat. Just the thought of that had his cock stirring to life again.

"You're welcome," Clark said smugly.

"Don't be too full of yourself. We're nowhere close to done."

"I can't be full of myself, cause I'm full of you," Clark said and leaned down to nuzzle at Lex's neck.

Lex's eyes fell closed and he turned his head to grant Clark better access. Clark's mouth blazed a trail up to his ear.

"I want to fuck you, Lex," Clark whispered.

"Best idea you've ever had," Lex said. "But it's my turn to drive you crazy now." He pushed against Clark's chest. Clark went willingly and turned to lie on his back as Lex raised up beside him.

He got his first good look at Clark's cock and was almost speechless. Clark was beautiful all over, not to mention big all over. It had been a while since Lex had bottomed, but he suddenly wanted every inch of Clark inside him in the worst way. Not wanting to waste any time, he reached over to the bedside table and pulled out lube.

"Get a condom, too," Clark said.

Lex raised one brow in question. He had thought that Clark was a virgin with men, and so far as he knew, there'd been only Lana as far as women.

"We'll talk about it later, and it's nothing bad, but trust me, you want me to wear a condom," Clark said, and Lex was intrigued to see him blushing. But now was not the time for questions, as he had definite other goals in mind.

Lex coated three fingers with the lube and then swung one leg over Clark's legs to straddle him. He grinned down at the dazed expression on Clark's face as he watched while Lex prepared himself. He gasped in pleasure as he worked his way up to all three fingers deep in his ass. Clark was watching him, his mouth hanging open, lust burning in his eyes.

Just to tease him, Lex leaned down and ran his tongue around the crown of Clark's cock, smiling in satisfaction when Clark cried out and quivered with excitement.

"God, Lex, please! Hurry! I need to be in you," Clark gasped.

"Patience is a virtue, Clark," Lex said. He grabbed the condom and ripped the wrapper open. Slowly, making sure to stoke Clark's entire length, he rolled it on.

Lex moved into position over Clark. He leaned forward to kiss his lover, making sure their eyes met.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you," Clark answered. "Forever."

"Yes, forever."

Lex took Clark's cock in hand, and sat back a little, guiding it into his body. As he was slowly filled, Lex began to tremble, feeling the intensity of the moment to the core of his being. He felt Clark's hands gently settle on his hips, and they were shaking as well. Finally, when they were completely joined, Lex looked down at Clark's face, and was awed by the fact that this god come to earth had chosen him.

He felt an overwhelming urge to move, and gave in, raising his hips up and then letting them slide back down. Both of them groaned with pleasure, then Lex couldn't hold back any longer.

Grabbing onto Clark's shoulders for leverage, Lex set out to give Clark the ride of his life. He was quickly fully hard again as Clark's huge cock brushed against his prostate every time he pushed down.

"Lex! Oh, I'm close, so close," Clark moaned, his hands carefully squeezing Lex's hips.

"Come for me then, Clark. I want to watch you," Lex panted and slammed his hips down hard.

Clark cried out and arched his back, and Lex could actually feel his cock pulsing inside him. Clark was even more beautiful at the pinnacle of pleasure than he normally was. Just the sight of his lover's ecstasy was enough to have Lex on the verge of coming. He stroked himself three times and that was all it took to have him painting Clark's chest and stomach with stripes of white.

"Fuck!" Lex cried, as he collapsed onto Clark's chest, both of them breathing hard. It had been a while since Lex had experienced two such intense orgasms so close together. He'd become a respectable businessman while staying in Smallville. He had the feeling that the business might suffer for a while if he could be having sex like this instead.

He eased off Clark's still semi-hard cock and carefully balanced himself on one hip beside him. Lex had the feeling it might be a few hours before he could sit normally without discomfort. He reached over and slid the used condom off of Clark and efficiently tied it off. As he started to toss it towards the trashcan by his bed, he paused.

"We'd better make sure this is destroyed. I trust my staff for the most part, but we don't want to take a chance of any of your DNA getting out of our control."

"You're right. That's why I love you, Lex, because you think of everything," Clark said with the lazy grin of someone who was very satisfied. He took the used condom from Lex's hand and moved his arm away from Lex. With a quick burst of heat vision, the condom was completely incinerated.

"You are so incredible," Lex said in amazement.

"Come lay down with me. I want to sleep with you in my arms all night long," Clark said.

Lex did as Clark asked, turning to lay on his side with Clark behind him. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Lex couldn't help but smile. It seemed that Luthors got the happy ending every once in a while after all.

THE END


End file.
